The Edge of Dawn
by Thy Name is Black
Summary: Remake of Against All Odds: The proud Xiaolin Dragons have protected the land for centuries, but a change now comes carried upon the breath of the wind. A little girl with an unusual gift must not only find her place among them, but find her place within the very world that hates her for what she is.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

_"If the egg is broken from an outside force, life ends. But if the shell is broken by inside force, life begins. Great things always come from the inside."_

_\- __unknown_

One_ What Papa Always Says

The yells of rioters filled the air as dawn approached. Red billows chased away the murky black, slicing through it like claws as day once again attempted to break free of the horizon. The freedom was short lived. The sun only just winked its eye above the shallow fields of the valley before it was swallowed up by a thick blanket of thunder clouds crawling up from the west. The muted blue and harsh grey collided like two rival armies above the rising and gruesome glowing face of the flames as they licked the sky.

The smell of burning flesh stung Tala's nose, though the screams of the fire's victim were drowned out by the villagers who cheered on her death. They were ignorant to the flashes of lightning that crackled across the yawning dawn, snapping like a thousand whips as the clouds trumpeted their warning of the rain and wind that had not yet arrived.

The child stood stunned and silent, her eyes unable to be pulled away from the yellow glow that was once her mother. Her father had snatched her away from the crowd as they swarmed the woman now tied to the stake. He did not give them the chance to have her daughter. The two had already disappeared over the hill overlooking their village before the angry men could turn their eyes to Tala, but her mother's fate was already decided and her father could do nothing but help his child escape.

Tala's father had done all that he could to keep her from seeing her mother's death but now his back was turned toward their cart and donkey, and Tala's eyes were upon the flickering light at the bottom of the hill. As if under a trance, her eyes focused on the light, the rest around it blurring. The mens' yells buzzed in her ears like flies.

A witch, they had said.

The villagers had demanded her head when children began to die. Tala couldn't understand how this was her mother's fault. It was winter; many people died during winter. The frost had yet to cover the ground, but the wind was bitterly cold nonetheless. Even without snow, people were prone to die this time of year, especially children. Tala knew this as a fact. Her own sister had been buried the last year just before the ground softened and the ice melted. She just couldn't understand how her mother was to blame.

"A witch," she mumbled to herself, her own voice sounding surreal.

"She wasn't a witch," her father snapped over his back, tossing his axe onto the pile of sticks lying under the tarp, "I never want to hear you say that again."

"They said she was," Tala murmured, but her father didn't hear her. He came up behind Tala and yanked on her wrist.

Tugging her toward the cart, he told her "She was different, not like those others."

"Others?"

Her father knelt down, one hand on his knee and the other on her shoulder. "Tala, listen to me," he said. The steely blue of his eyes were intense with worry. "I want you to remember your mother as she was to you, no matter what anyone says. It does not matter what you hear, what you see, whatever happens. Your mother was a loving woman. She used her magic for good. For good, do you understand?"

Tala nodded, but she noticed his eyes darting, looking at her face. She wondered if he was looking for a memory of her mother there. After all, he didn't look like they did. He spoke a strange language sometimes too, and it showed when he talked. It was thicker on some days than others, especially when he was angry.

But today his brogue was thickened by sadness, choking him up when he lifted her onto the back of the cart and asked "Do you remember what Papa always says?"

"Dá fhada an lá tagann an tráthnóna," she answered as he bundled the starchy cloak around her neck tightly.

"That's right," he encouraged her, "Never forget it. No matter how bad things get, alright?"

Tala hugged him, crushing her nose against his chest when he squeezed back "I don't want to leave you, Papa."

"We have to go," he answered, "We need to get you somewhere safe, even if I can't be there too."

* * *

"And you are certain that she is a hard worker?"

"Yes, she is," Tala's father was smiling in spite of the woman's skeptical gaze, "Tala has helped me gather firewood several a time. She's developed a strong arm."

Tala shied away from the burly woman whose eyes were too small and too close together for the girl's liking, like a pig. She shyly clung to her father's coat, hiding behind him as best she could while still being able to look at Sow face with wary eyes.

"She doesn't look strong," Sow face harrumphed, "bit too thin in the face. Looks sickly. You best not be handing off a burden to me; the Masters won't like that."

"I promise you," he said, placing an assuring hand behind Tala's head, "my girl will make a good worker for your masters. But, if you will not use her, I can find another place that will."

Sow face snorted. Gesturing toward Tala, she said "Where? The next monastery is over the Three Hills, a month's journey. Seeing how thin she is, the child wouldn't last a quarter of the walk. I'll take her, but she'll have to be a kitchen maid."

"Done," clipped her father, his jaw setting with a clench. He only ever did that when he didn't want to lose his temper.

Sow face looked at Tala, her flat nose turned up in scrutiny. "How old are you, girl?" she asked, "Speak up,"

"Eleven, ma'am," she answered, clinging more tightly to her father's clothes. She did not want to go with this woman, "And my name is-"

"I could give a horse's shit about your name," snapped sow face, to which Tala could feel her father tense, "I just need a hard worker. Can you do that for me?"

Tala vigorously nodded, trying her best not to rouse the pig lady's temper further. The woman snorted with a firm nod of her own, accepting Tala's silent answer. "Good," she said, "Now say goodbye to your father. We have work to do."

Sow face flicked her eyes back to Tala's father, their beadiness holding a glint of black disgust before she turned back toward the large temple gates.

Tala gave no second thoughts to her and grasped her father's back as tightly as she could. "Don't leave me, Papa," she begged, "Don't go away, I need you!"

He turned around and bent a knee, wrapping Tala up into his arms. "A leanbh na páirte," he said, "A Thaisce, you must be strong now. It's a long road that has no turning, Tala. Nothing along it can stay smooth or rough for very long," He winked and brushed his knuckles under her chin, his steely eyes bright with gentleness; "so keep your chin up. Not all bad things last forever. I will come back for you when I find a better place for us both, but the roads down farther are too dangerous for my treasure to be wandering around in winter so you need to get along a while here without me. Can I trust you to be a brave, strong girl for Papa?"

Her Papa's face blurred at the edges when Tala began to cry. Nodding her head to answer, Tala threw her arms around his neck and wept, fearing that the shadow on his cheeks scratched her face for the last time. Into his ear she whispered " I love you, Papa."

"Tá mo chroí istigh ionat, A Thaisce," he answered, "And it always will be."

"Come on, girl," shouted Sow face from the gate, "Hurry up, we haven't got all day!"

Tala hiccuped when her father let go and re-tightened the collar of her cloak. "Now remember," he said, taking her face into his comforting hands, cold though they were, "No strangers. Listen to her and keep your head down. I'll be back before you know it. Promise me you won't talk to anyone about your mother, yes?"

"Okay, Papa," she answered obediently, "I promise."

* * *

"Most call me Ma, but you'll be calling me Yuma 'till you've earned the right," said Sow face, "and you'll be answering to me, do you understand?"

Tala was too frightened to speak and too sad to pay Yuma her full attention. Her eyes wandered around the hall, taking in the smells of the kitchen just down the way and the sight of the shadows grappling with each other along the walls.

Pots were banging so loudly that they made Tala clench her teeth together. Her jaw hurt from it. She rubbed at it and noticed how cold and clammy her hands felt. Like death, she thought. She brought her hands to her face and blew into them to keep them warm with her breath. They looked like two freshly baked loaves that had fallen into the dirt. The sight of them made her want to pick at the black beneath her nails.

"Noticed yourself finally, did you?" snorted Yuma. She had stopped and turned when she noticed Tala's lagging, "you'll be given a bath soon with the rest of the girls, don't worry. Now keep up."

Tala kept her distance, but she could hear old Sow face muttering to herself: "Strange creature; too dark, too thin and too much hair. 'Sa wonder she survived to eleven already. In my girlhood, she'd be swinging by a tree for lookin' a bit too much like them."

Heat crept up Tala's neck hearing that. 'Them,' she thought, 'Like the others Papa was talking about?'

Now that she thought about it, her Mama's skin was dark too. She also had unnaturally red hair, but Tala's hair had been nothing but stark black for as long as she could remember, only... it curled tightly like Mama's did. Tala ran her fingers through the ringlets on her shoulders, feeling self conscious. Did she really look as strange as old Sow face was muttering? Would they really have killed her too if Papa hadn't sent her to this place?

"The Xiaolin temple has been standing for a thousand years," shouted Yuma over her shoulder as the sounds of the kitchen grew louder, "It's said to be one of the most beautiful structures in all of the southern provinces, second only to the capitol."

Yuma stopped dead short and grabbed Tala's arm. Tala had to stop herself from crying out; Yuma's grip was painfully forceful as she swung Tala around to her front. "But you, little rat," laughed Yuma, "will only be seeing the beauty of the kitchen."

She tossed Tala inside. Tala quickly caught herself on the edge of the chopping table with both hands, stopping her nose just inches from a half-plucked chicken lying in a pool of its own blood. Tala looked back to Yuma, stunned and fighting back the urge to vomit over the smell of rust, the red dried to brown and matted where her hands had landed.

Yuma gave her a look over, a cocky smile spread across her piggy face. "Make sure you put your hair up," she scoffed, "Don't want you dirtying the food."

She left without another word, her large form disappearing faster than Tala could register what had just happened. She looked down at the table, letting the red and brown blur together under the lenses of her tears. She fought to breathe, curling her fists, clinging to what little control she still had over herself. It wasn't fair! Her Papa should not have left her with that terrible Sow face! He should have-

"Are you alright?"

Tala quickly wiped her tears away, pulling up her sleeve to avoid smearing the blood all over herself. She saw a girl, pretty and full in figure. Her hair was pulled back into a braided bun so tightly coiled that Tala thought the girl feared wrinkles. She smiled at Tala.

"My name is Jia," she said, " I work here in the kitchens too. I can help you with your hair, if you'd like."

Tala gulped down her surprise, letting the tears that had already formed at her eyes fall down her face. She did not know what to say. She just stared at Jia, whose kind eyes reminded her of Papa. Jia pulled Tala's wrists gently toward her. "Here," she said, "Let me clean you up."

Jia took a cloth and dipped it into the water pan beside her. "Pay no mind to Ma," she said, wiping Tala's hands, "You can't imagine how hard it is to be in charge of a hundred girls; everyone expects her to know what to do, giving the orders and all. Not to mention the Masters' demands for keeping the Temple spotless. If she isn't on our case, she isn't doing her job. She's a bit rough but she means nothing by it, really. You'll get used to her, I promise, and she'll warm up before you know it, too."

Jia kept on chattering, but Tala was not really listening. She was too preoccupied by Jia's ability to talk so fast, like a bird. Jia pulled out the stool from behind her, the gritting sound bringing back Tala's attention.

"We have to tidy up your hair," Jia explained, "Ma wasn't joking about that. The last girl who dropped her hair into the warriors' food was dismissed."

"That's a strange rule," muttered Tala, not very happy about the prospect of having to tie her hair back as tightly as Jia's, "Not very fair."

Jia smiled widely and far too happily. "So you do speak!" she laughed, taking Tala's hands back with excitement, "And here I thought Ma'd brought me a mute!"

"Sorry," Tala ripped her hands away, offended and embarrassed, "I didn't mean to-"

"Oh, no," Jia interrupted quickly. Her elated smile flipped to a worried frown, "I should be the one apologizing. You've just left your family and I'm sitting here making fun of you."

Tala glared at her assumption. Even though she was right, Tala could not help the feeling that Jia had some sort of hidden motive..."You have no idea what happened to me," she said, clenching her fists.

"Are you angry?" she asked, her frown deepening, "I honestly didn't mean it. I tend to lose track of my tongue. Ma always tells me to keep quiet in front of the men because of it."

Men. Tala shuddered at the word. She saw what men could do when they were angry. They hardly seemed human.

Jia rolled up her sleeves and scooted closer to begin working on pinning up Tala's bangs. Tala held her breath at the shocking sight of deep scars running across them; three on each arm. Jia noticed her stare and smiled unconvincingly, saying "I had a little brother. The people in my village called him simple. He was often chased down and beaten by the other boys."

She moved to the back and gathered up Tala's hair, skillfully keeping Tala's bangs up between her fingers while doing so and began braiding. "They chased him back to the farm one day. He was crying. That wasn't very unusual, but instead of chasing him with sticks, the boys had knives. I didn't want them to hurt him so I ran after them with my broom. Silly of me, using a broom against three near-grown boys, but it was all I could do to protect him."

She fell silent and kept working. Tala felt a shift in the air, a stillness like the trees in winter. She didn't want to ask, but- "What happened?"

Jia swallowed, twisting the braid into a bun tightly, making Tala wince when she rounded it out on the top of her head. "They pinned me down," said Jia, swallowing her emotions, "and they cut me. One slice on both arms for each boy I offended… My father said that I was lucky they didn't do more. He said they were generous, that he would have done worse."

Anger flash fired up Tala's back. What kind of papa could say such a thing? Who could just let their children get hurt and not do anything? Her Papa would never-

The kettle on the pot stove screamed and shot into the air, slamming into the ceiling. The clay shattered, spraying the kitchen with scalding rain. The girls ducked, covering their heads.

Jia rushed over to clean it up, "Must've not heard the warning whistle," she said, "I'm sorry, dear. Scared you to near death. Are you alright?"

Tala didn't answer. She was too stunned. She stared at the broken pieces now gathered up into the net of Jia's apron as she cleaned up the rest.

"Ah, near forgot," laughed Jia, dumping the clay into a bin. She brushed at her apron, the clay dust streaking it brown from her wet fingers. She looked up at Tala with a cheery grin, "In all the excitement, I forgot to ask you. What's your name?"

"Tala," she answered, her heart racing with dread. Did she really just do that? She swallowed, her throat scratching against itself with dryness.

"Pretty name," Jia remarked, wiping off the rest of her hands with a rag, "I'm not familiar with it, though. Is it common in your village?"

"No,"

"Suits you, then," Jia answered, bringing the rag over to Tala, "An uncommon name for an uncommon girl."

She handed it to Tala with a smile and said, "I hope we can get to know each other better."

Tala jumped up, panicking. "I'm sorry," she stammered, bowing quickly.

She rushed past Jia, trying her hardest not to begin crying again, passing the outside columns toward the animal pens. The world around her was a blur. She shut everything out, ignoring the protests of the women she ran past until she was finally alone in an adjacent courtyard.

Her refuge was small, just a simple rectangle plot with a willow tree, but it was silent and secluded. Tala collapsed at the roots of the willow, crying into her knees. She just wanted to go home; to be safe and happy with Mama and Papa. It wasn't right! Her mother didn't do anything!

Tala hugged herself tightly, fighting herself to not make too much noise, though she desperately wanted to scream. It wasn't fair. She just wanted to be normal. She never asked for any of this. She never asked to be different.

And there Tala sat, underneath the willow tree with the cold wind nipping at the back of her neck. She was sad, afraid, and despairingly alone. She had not a friend in the world.

* * *

**AN: This is the first chapter of the rewrite of my trilogy. I hope you guys can bear with me while I redo everything. This one will be a lot longer than the first, since I'm changing things for both the main plot and the subplots, as well as different character goals. Tala's story is basically like any other coming-of-age hero story in accepting yourself for who you are, but I hope that she as a character can stand apart from the average Jane.**

**This chapter was a bit boring, I can admit, but it does pick up in the next chapter, so I hope you don't write it off from this introduction.**

**Thank you,**

**TNIB**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

_Two_ The Brave Girl and The Warrior Boy_

Buzzing.

That was all she could hear. Buzzing.

There was lightning in the distance, nipping at the rays of the sun poking through behind the clouds, but there was no thunder. Just the angry buzzing. It grew louder and louder, filling Tala's senses to the point where she could barely breathe and still it went on. The buzzing drowned out everything, even the sound of the rain.

A hand yanked her back by the shoulder and Tala turned to see her mother. Her half moon eyes squinted their silver light her way as she bent down with arms spread wide to scoop Tala up into her arms.

Mama was as beautiful as the mountain women she often told Tala about in her nighttime stories: stories of the Mountain clan, of brave warriors and of ancient magic. She always seemed to glow with the radiance of those stories.

Tala embraced her mother tightly, letting her warmth soak in. "Where did you go, Mama?" she asked, "Papa and I went away. I couldn't find you."

"What are you _talking_ about, my Morning star?" laughed her mother, "I'm right here,"

Tala let go, sensing that something was wrong. She smelt burning flesh. The flies began buzzing again and she felt the heat of an open flame wash over her. She screamed as flames overtook her mother. They ate at Mama's clothes, rotting them away into black ash. They devoured her red curls and licked at her skin as if it were honey, yet Tala's mother smiled at her without even a flinch. She said, as her skin began to melt away, "I will _always_ be here."

* * *

Tala jumped up from her mat, shaking. The small bowls and utensils that were floating above her dropped to the ground and clattered around her mat. A fork even landed in her lap. Tala picked it up, catching her breath and clenching her shoulders to stop the shivering. Angrily, she threw it, letting it clatter against the stove.

_It had happened again_.

Three weeks of the same dream, waking up to the same things floating and then falling around her head. It was maddening! Why did this have to happen to her now? Why not when Mama was still alive? Why not when Mama could still help her?

Jia always woke up, too. And like clockwork, tonight she asked in her sleepy haze from the other side of the bench, "Tala, is that you? What's happened?"

"I moved in my sleep," Tala lied like she always did, "and knocked some things from the counter. I'm sorry to wake you. Go back to sleep."

"Well_, _be more careful then," was her bitter reply. Tala couldn't blame her. This had happened every night since her arrival, "and let me get some sleep for once."

Tala laid back down and stared at the ceiling, listening for Jia's shallow breathing to start again, which did not take very long. It was a comforting sound. It reminded Tala of home, when she used to snuggle up between Mama and Papa and listen to her father's shallow snoring like a lullaby. But, tonight she did not need one.

Tala got up from her mat, careful not to disturb Jia again, and quietly slipped out toward the animal pens. The snow had fallen already, dusting the hard earth with a coating of white like sugar on a sweet bun. Tala pulled the jacket over her night dress more tightly, instantly regretting her decision to go outside in the middle of the night.

Finally, she made it to her little courtyard. The full moon shone brightly through the empty branches of the willow. A ring was wrapped around it, calling forth more snow but with no clouds to aid it. The wind was bitter but light as it blew past her ears and ruffled her hair. The air even smelled like winter and it hurt her lungs when Tala breathed in the sharp scent. Tonight was the night; she needed to settle this once and for all. She would have to teach herself on her own.

Tala looked at the crack in the wall across the courtyard. The roots of the tree had dug deep beneath the wall, splitting it up the middle in its weaker parts. There was a large gap in the middle where the root had pushed through- nature taking back what was rightfully hers, as Mama would have said. Tala loved that crack. She loved looking at it and imagining the things that lay beyond. What she loved most was the tiny glimpse of the world it gave her. Tala swore one day, once she'd gained the courage enough, she would climb through it and never look back.

But tonight was not such a night. She was here for another reason. She was here to practice magic. She needed to gain a firmer hold on it. She was sick of lying to Jia every night, of having to protect her face from falling knives every night and, most importantly, she was sick of feeling so afraid.

Tala had done as Papa ordered. She kept her head down and swallowed every command Sow faced Yuma gave her. She kept everyone, especially Jia, at arms length and still Tala was at risk of hurting people and exposing herself. If anything were to happen to Jia, if Tala were to get too angry, if everyone found her out, then… No, that was not going to happen. She would not wind up like Mama, not like in her dream. She could control it. She _would_ control it.

Tala gathered up some snow from the ground. The ice was so cold that it burned her bare fingers, but she rolled it into three balls and laid them down in a row in front of her. Tala took a breath and held it, second guessing herself. What if Jia hadn't really fallen back to sleep? What if she was followed?

Tala checked over her shoulder, scanning the shadows, but there was nothing there. It was just her and the rustle of the wind clattering against the willow's branches. She looked back at the three balls and released her breath, steadying her nerves.

"Alright, Tala," she whispered to herself, "You've tried this before. You almost got it last night, remember? You _are_ Mama's daughter. You can do this."

Tala closed her eyes and stretched out her hands. Her fingers were already numb, wet from the snow and freezing from the wind, but that didn't matter. She had to do this. She had to try.

Tala focused, waiting for her hands to feel the heat of magic again, to feel that fluttering bird in her lungs, to smell cloves and honey like her mother, to taste the orange on her tongue. It had happened before. She always woke up to that taste in her mouth just before everything fell each night. She knew that she could do it. She had to.

Tala shocked herself with a sudden burn and whipped her arms back, sucking on her fingertips. She glared at the snowballs. One was half melted, but none had moved. She bent down, remade the one she melted and tried again, this time not focusing on the heat of her magic, but on the _push_.

She slowly opened her eyes, trying desperately not to get her hopes up… Nothing. They still didn't move. Tala groaned, staring up at the moon. She always rather liked the moon. It reminded her of her mother's eyes. They were white like it was and shone just as brightly when she smiled. Papa said she had those pretty eyes too, but she never believed him. They were dull and sad and didn't shine at all. To Tala they were ugly and grey, not silver like Mama's.

She wanted to cry. Tala hated thinking about them like this. She just wanted to go home, to sleep on the floor mat again with her parents, not sneak around in the dark hiding herself from everyone else!

Tala sat down on the root of the willow and sighed, staring at the three snowballs with contempt. "I hate you," she grumbled. Their faceless forms stared back at her, shining under the moonlight in a way that felt like they were mocking her.

"If Mama were here, you wouldn't be looking at me like that," Tala warned them, "She'd have tossed you so far away that you'd have hit a star by now."

They didn't respond. She knew they wouldn't, but that didn't stop Tala from being frustrated. "Why can't I _move_ you?" she demanded, "This should not be so hard. I can do it in my sleep, so why can't I- ugh, it just isn't fair!"

Tala pounded her fists against her knees and the sudden sweet taste of orange coated her tongue. She looked at them, her heart racing. All three snowballs were at her eye level.

"How did-" Tala began to smile, deciding it was best not to question herself, and slowly stood. The balls rose with her, staying at level with her head.

She reached out her hands and they floated down to hover above her palms, each bobbing like a fluttering bird.

"I can't believe it," mumbled Tala. Then louder, as her breath caught up with her heart, "I can't _believe_ it!"

Tala spun with her arms stretched out, the snow kicking up at her feet as the floating snow balls lifted up again and began dancing around her head. She swayed with them, making the tiny balls of ice intertwine with each other like leaves caught in the wind. Testing her limits, she raised them higher, spinning faster and faster below as they floated into the bare branches of the willow. She did it! She finally did it!

There was a snap of twigs and she dropped them instantly, her heart plummeting to the ground as fast as her frozen playthings. Tala gasped with surprise when her eyes met those of a smiling boy.

For an instant, she could see that he was tall and dressed in the winter robes of a third rank warrior, one of high reverence. His slick hair had been swept back, grown out into the latest fashion of the southern cities. He gave a small chuckle at her surprise but Tala did not want to stick around to see the rest of him.

Tala lunged for the wall crack, sprinting as fast as she could.

"Wait," he called, but Tala would not listen. She was also too slow. The boy snatched her up, his grip on her arm like the iron clasp that would soon be around her wrist if she could not get away.

"Let go of me!" cried Tala, clawing at his fingers.

He snatched her other hand, pinching her fingers in his crushing palm. "Stop it," he scolded, "I won't hurt you."

"No!" she screeched, thrashing against him, kicking and fighting for escape.

He grunted when she nicked his shin. "You are a _feisty_ one, aren't you," he grumbled, letting go of Tala's hand to wrap his arm around her. The boy pulled her close to smother her wriggling, folding her arms together in place. "Now be quiet or we'll wake the entire Temple."

"Let me go," she wailed, "let go!"

"Shh," he said, "not so loud!"

She stopped her yelling but tried her hardest to bury under his arms. He held on tightly, restricting her when he noticed. He growled and hooked the back of Tala's ankle with his foot, sending her to the ground.

He was practically on top of her, making the girl cry out again. She thrashed all the harder, squaring her shoulders to wiggle free. Tala kept her eyes closed tightly as she fought, using all of her might in the struggle.

He held her shoulders tightly. "Enough," he said.

Tala ignored him and continued to struggle. He shook her, his nails digging into her arms.

"Enough!" he said again.

Tala sucked in breath and opened her eyes, her chest wheezing with rattling fear. The cold air made it all the harder to breathe. She looked at him, her throat dry and scratchy as she hiccuped back her overwhelming panic.

His eyes were amber, pale and honey colored. This shade of brown was so strange, so vivid, that it hardly seemed real under his dark long eyelashes. His lips were parted, hot breath hitting her face as he caught his own shallow breath. "What is your name?" he asked.

Tala's chest tightened. Her voice strained past his weight that suffocated her lungs. "Why does it matter?" she choked, "I'll be dead when the Elders find out anyway."

The boy's large smile was charming. "You speak rashly for a little girl," he observed lightly. A joke that Tala did not understand, "Your name, brave girl. What is it?"

Tala set her jaw and glared at him.

"Do you have one?"

She clenched her jaw harder.

He laughed and held her chin between his finger and thumb. "Careful," he chided, "you'll break your teeth that way."

Tala turned her head away, hot tears stinging her eyes and freezing on her cheeks. The snow at her back had melted and soaked through the thick wool of her dress. She shivered.

The boy sighed and sat up. "Look," he said, "I'm not going to force you, but you really should consider being more careful. If the wrong person saw you he would have killed you."

"You aren't going to kill me?"

The boy's smile was no longer playful, but it was genuine. He reached out a hand to help her up. She hesitated, unsure, but took it and let him lift her off of the ground.

"I'm not the kind of man to kill a little kid," he told her.

"I'm eleven!" Tala protested.

"Exactly," he answered, pulling off his over coat. He wrapped it around Tala, pulling tightly around her neck to cover up the wet draft. "The last thing you need is to get sick, little witch," he explained when he noticed her staring at him warily.

He leaned in close to her ear as he finished the last tie below her chin. "If you want to return the coat," he whispered, "ask for Chase Young. Good night, Brave girl."

He kissed her cheek and winked at her before sauntering off toward the gate.

"Wait," she called hesitantly, "Tala… My name is Tala."

Chase Young did not look back but raised a hand in acknowledgement of what she said. Tala stood shivering in the cold, watching the strange boy with the strange eyes leave. Wrapped in his still-warm jacket, Tala wondered if she had just somehow made a friend or made a terrible mistake.

* * *

**AN: Introducing Chase Young, the strangest person Tala has ever met, which is saying something because her mom's a witch and her dad's a Celt. Anyway, two chapters down, almost thirty more to go. I'm so excited for their interactions throughout the story. Chase especially is an interesting character to play around with and you'll be seeing why very soon.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

_Three_ Sewn Together_

The morning bell was loud and abrupt. Tala bashed her head on the low board of the counter, immediately dropping her head back onto the mat. This was quickly followed by a throbbing headache and a sore spot between her eyes. She groaned.

"Breakfast chore," said Jia as she briskly walked past Tala's mat carrying the pot of rice for the warriors' breakfast, "Put on an apron and help me serve. The other girls have already begun to prepare the bowls. We just need to bring the rice and eggs."

Tala begrudgingly picked herself up and quickly braided her hair, not bothering to tie the braid into Jia's signature bun. There was no time for that, not with Jia's commands still ringing painfully in her ears. She grabbed an apron, still dirty from yesterday, and flipped it over to its clean side before tying it around herself, her hands fumbling as fast as she could.

Jia returned to grab the second pot of rice, hissing into Tala's ear when she passed, "You're late! Hurry up and grab the last pot!"

Tala yanked the pot from the stove quickly but paused. A cold chill ran up her back. He could be there. She looked at the blue jacket still neatly folded up on her mat from being used as her pillow for the night. What was his motive? What did Chase Young want?

"Tala!" Jia shouted from the hallway.

"Sorry!" Tala called back, realizing with a flash of embarrassment that she was being too slow. She ran while struggling to keep the lid on the large pot in her arms, racing to get to the dining hall.

* * *

The dining hall was brimming with men, their shouts and excited chatter flooding Tala's ears. About twenty other girls were already buzzing about, passing out bowls of eggs and rice. Tala was stiff as a board, practically clinging to the wall in the hopes that she was too small to be noticed so that Yuma would not call her out to serve the tea, which was to be placed out next.

Jia was beside her, calmly and obediently leaning against the wall awaiting orders. Tala snuck a peek up at Jia from the corner of her eye. She was staring down, being sure not to make eye contact with anyone walking past.

Jia's eyes were hard and her jaw was rigid. Tala could tell that something was wrong. She wanted to comfort her, and nearly lifted her hand to touch hers, but thought better of it. They could not be friends. It was safer for both of them that way.

Tala balled her hand into a fist, pushing down the urge to feel sorry for herself. It didn't matter how she felt. Jia was the only person who cared about her in this place. Tala would not let herself hurt her.

"TEA," called Yuma, "Girls in the front, go."

Jia was the first out of the line to pry herself from the wall and marched into the back room to grab a tea kettle and a tray of cups. Tala watched her go, wishing that she could just talk to Jia, to let her know that Tala's coldness wasn't any fault of hers, but she just couldn't. Tala could not risk blowing her cover. She was more afraid of dying than she was of losing her only friend.

"I _said_ girls in _front_, little rat," snarled Yuma, whacking Tala upside her head, "Make yourself useful!"

Tala fought the irresistible urge to glare at Yuma and did as she was told, dreading every minute of it. She snatched up one of the smaller teapots, hoping that she could serve it out quickly then have to go back and get a new one before she could to run into Chase Young again. She wanted to avoid that boy at all cost.

Jia handed Tala a tray of empty cups and said, "Get that table over there."

Everything in Tala stopped when she saw who was staring at her from across that table three rows behind. There he was, Chase Young, staring at her between the shifting bodies of the boys sitting between them. In the chaos of the dining hall, his was the only space that was still.

Tala's entire body fought against shutting down and it shook from resisting that violent urge. The cups and pot rattled in her hands. Jia nudged her back with an elbow.

"Go on," she said, "unless you want to do the third table down. No one has served that one yet either."

"No, no," answered Tala, "I can do it."

She pried her eyes away from Chase and kept them to the floor as she shuffled toward her assigned table. The boy Tala served laughed at some clever joke his friend had just said and the others around him joined in. Even with the rather large boy braying like a donkey in her ear, Tala could not be distracted from the feel of Chase's stare at her back. She prayed that she could get through this quickly.

"Tala," Jia touched her shoulder to gain her attention. Tala turned to see that she was holding three trays- one on her shoulder in the crook of her arm and on her flat palm, each perfectly balanced with empty tea cups, "You might have to get the third table after all. Ma's just run Xu Mei off for breaking a pot again so I'm stuck hitting her tables."

This morning could not be any worse. So much for quick. "Sure," Tala lied brightly as Jia handed her a newly filled pot, "I'd be happy to do it for you!"

Tala swallowed down all of her instincts to run away and walked toward Chase's table, keeping her eyes to the floor. She began at the end and with each cup she filled with the steaming tea. The closer she got to Chase's seat, her heart pounded faster. Tala's feet were like lead.

She started to shake when she got to his seat. The tea splashed over the rim of the tiny cup in her hand as Tala poured. She tried desperately to avoid looking at him, the pulse in her head racing.

Tala nearly jumped when he reached up and grabbed her hand to steady it. Chase helped her to pour the rest of the tea into his serving before taking it from her, and placing it in front of his rice bowl.

"Thank you," he murmured.

Tala could not help it; her eyes flickered up and met his, an automatic reaction to the sound. His mouth had been a hard line that relaxed into a smile when she looked at him. Tala could tell that he was frowning from the way his jaw had unclenched and the relief in his eyes that lit them up with shine when their eyes met. Why was he relieved?

Tala nodded and quickly looked back down, moving on to the next warrior beside him. Somehow, she felt a little relieved too.

* * *

She had to return it.

Tala rubbed the hem of the jacket's sleeve between her finger and thumb as she worked up the courage, telling herself that the sooner she got this over with the better. She felt the fabric give way to her thumb and looked down at the sleeve. There was a hole in it. A rather _large_ hole. Tala must not have noticed it last night because the jacket had been so large on her.

She reached under her mat to pull out her sewing needle, though it was technically borrowed from Jia to mend her winter dress, and pinned it to the sleeve. Tala groped around for the thread she had also borrowed but seemed to have misplaced.

"Are you looking for this?"

Tala's spirit sank when she heard Jia's voice and reluctantly faced her. Jia was holding the thread spool that she had borrowed from her on the flat of her palm. She looked about as amused as Tala felt, a sour pucker to her lips sharpening the curves of her face with bitterness.

"Yes," Tala admitted, "I'm sorry for not asking to borrow it again, but I was told to mend this jacket and could not find any other thread… I just didn't want to be yelled at by Yuma."

The lie was quick but thankfully believable. Jia's eyes softened but the anger in her face did not change. She held it out for Tala to grab. "Just be more quick with your duties next time," said Jia, a harsh sigh billowing out of her words, "and I'd wish you would talk to me. You have been avoiding me for weeks."

"I'm sorry," said Tala, accepting the spool.

"That's it then," said Jia accusingly.

"It isn't you, Jia,"

"I'm glad we agree," she snapped. With one last baleful look before turning to leave she added, "Just be sure to put that thread and needle back when you're done."

"Jia!" Tala called after her, but Jia was made deaf by her anger. She left without looking back.

Tala could only blame herself. She was the one who pushed Jia away, and now she was paying the consequences. Jia shared her life with her and Tala repaid that by avoiding her. It was a wonder it took this long for Jia to hate her. She deserved to in full.

It was a mistake letting her in even an inch closer than was necessary. Doing this was right. By letting Jia hate her, it kept Tala at a safe distance. She was mending the mistake of getting too close. It was lonely, but at least they were both in less danger.

With a sigh, she began working on the jacket. It was time to fix another mistake.

* * *

The heels of the grappling boys kicked up sand, spraying it everywhere in waves. One of the boys grunted when he landed on his back, flipped over by his adversary.

The training sands were still dusted in snow, the majority of it clustered around the high boulders in small piles like rings. The boys' breath fogged as they tried catching it in the freezing air. Though it was cold and color flooded his cheeks, Chase could feel sweat tickle his back.

He smiled down at Dashi, who was breathless and laughing. "You've seriously got it out for me," said the bald boy, grinning from ear to ear.

Chase reached down, offering a hand to help him up, "Have you had enough yet?" he asked with his own grin.

Dashi took his hand, their palms clapping with the enthusiasm. "You're kidding right?" Dashi asked, pulling himself up as Chase's weight anchored him.

He rubbed at the back of his head and Chase winced with sympathy.

"Hope that doesn't bruise," he joked, "It'll look like you have a third eye on the back of your head."

"Because I bruise like a peach, right?" laughed Dashi. He stopped smiling and stared beyond Chase.

"I think we have a visitor," said Dashi, looking a bit confused.

"What?" asked Chase, turning. He felt a shiver of panic jump up into his chest when he saw that little girl waiting for them at the edge of the sands. '_No, no no_,' he thought, '_What is she doing here? She'll be caught_!'

"Crap," he muttered, kicking up sand as he went to greet her.

The little maid appeared to get smaller as he approached. Her head sunk into her rigid shoulders, possibly bracing herself against the wind. She did not look at Chase as he approached, but hugged the package that she was holding all the more tightly. She looked frightened, and she should have been. If Master Young were near by he would have reported the girl to Yuma, who was quite frankly not well known for forgiveness or her kindness.

Chase was about to angrily express this to her, but the little maid spoke up before he could. "Forgive me for being so informal, Honored Apprentice," she stuttered a little too loudly, "but I have come to return to you your jacket and I would like to give it back to you quickly then return to my duties."

Oh, right, his jacket. Chase wanted to turn the kid around and send her back, to tell her to think nothing of it, but she shoved it at him before he could again say anything. "Please take it," she insisted, her twittery voice trilling with a strange accent, "You were too kind to let me borrow it."

Chase sighed and put it on. He had to admit he felt better wearing it now that he had been in the cold without the extra layer.

He felt something nick his wrist and looked at the hem of his sleeve. There was a mend; a bumpy mend, but the draft at least was no longer there to nip at his skin. He looked at the maid. _Tala_, he thought her name was, if he remembered correctly. He assessed her carefully, memorizing her featured, and said "You fixed my sleeve."

Tala kept her eyes to the ground, for once in their conversation not breaking conduct, and nodded stiffly.

Chase smiled. After their scrap last night, and her avoidance in the dining hall this morning, he'd thought Tala'd hated him. Maybe this was the opening Chase needed to be able to talk to her, to learn more about her magic. He had always been fascinated with the other arts, and this little girl could hold the answers to all of his questions. "Thank you."

Thank you indeed. Chase now finally had the opportunity he was waiting for, but he would first need to find a way to gain her trust and worm his way into her world. And now, thanks to Tala's tiny act of kindness, he had an idea.

-0

Another whack to the head woke Tala up. "Wake up," snapped Jia, "You have a visitor."

Tala glared at her, rubbing the ear Jia had just boxed, and groggily pulled herself from the mat.

Jia tossed one of the cleaner frocks at her and said, "Put that on quickly before they see you."

"Is Yuma asking for me?" asked Tala, pulling the dress over her head.

"No."

"Then who-"

Tala pulled her blanket up quickly when Chase walked in, accompanied by another kitchen girl. The other maid, Xu Mei she assumed, had a smile so broad that Tala thought her face might rip in half.

"I'm sorry," said Xu Mei, barely able to keep herself from giggling, "but the Honored Apprentice insisted on coming in."

Chase was holding a bundle of clothes in his arms with a bright smile on his face. "I need these all mended," he told her, dumping them all onto Tala's lap, "and since you did so well with my jacket, I've decided to ask for your help again. Please get them done quickly."

"But I have other-" she began to protest, but a quick glare from Jia reminded Tala of the protocol. She lowered her eyes, clenching her jaw against wanting to yell at him. "I will do as you say," Tala told him, wringing one of the shirts' sleeves between her hands.

"I'll come back to check on your progress," said Chase, still smiling. Tala could feel the skin of her hands burning. She took a breath to calm down, and though she felt more in control, Tala still felt the heat pulsing in her palms. She clenched the cloth between them more tightly. '_Leave soon_,' she begged inwardly.

Her prayers were answered. With an awkward nod and an even bigger smile, Chase made his departure with Xu Mei close behind him, still giggling like a chittering monkey.

"So," said Jia with a sly smile once he and Xu Mei were out of earshot, "it was _his_ jacket you had to repair, huh?"

Tala threw herself onto her back with a frustrated grunt to answer her. Jia laughed.

"Well, no one said gaining favor from a Dragon apprentice would make things easier," said Jia, kneeling down to gather up the clothes now sprawled upon Tala's chest.

Tala shot up, letting the clothes Jia had yet to pick up fall back into her lap. "_He's_ a Xiaolin Dragon?" she squealed in disbelief, "_Him_?"

"He's not a Dragon yet. None of them are," said Jia. Then with a playful whack to Tala's shoulder added, "And don't tell me that you had no idea about it! Everyone knows who the Xiaolin apprentices are!"

Tala inched closer to Jia, eager to hear more. "Which one is he?" she asked, eyes bright with enthusiasm.

"Fire," answered Jia, "The Keeper of Passion. He is also Master Young's son and the favorite to become leader of the Dragons some day. He is by far the one of the three with the greatest skill. Possibly even the strongest Dragon apprentice in over five hundred years."

"_Fantastic_," This was not good news. It meant that if Tala were discovered, it would be the word of a powerful Dragon warrior, the darling of the Temple even, against hers: a dangerous witch who was still only a mere girl. Her voice would be dwarfed by his, whether she was telling the truth or not.

"Have you fallen for him?" teased Jia, her eyes crinkling with delight.

"_Never_!" Tala shouted, throwing a shirt at Jia, who screeched with laughter.

"I wouldn't mind if you did," giggled Jia, "All of the girls are woefully in love with the Dragon apprentices and Chase Young has the popular vote, much to Ma's grievance. Whenever he comes to this side of the Temple none of the girls get any work done."

"Are you one of them?"

"No," answered Jia, picking up one of the pants in her lap to begin sewing, "There is someone else in mind for me."

"I can do that," Tala suggested, referring to the sewing, but Jia pulled it away from Tala's reach.

"You can't do all of these clothes on your own," she said, making it clear that this was the last word on the subject.

Tala felt guilty, especially with the way she had been behaving. And though Jia was still attempting to form a bond with her, Tala needed to cut it off no matter how much she wanted their friendship to flourish. "Jia,"

"No,"

"I can't be your friend, Jia,"

Jia pretended not to hear her and kept on sewing.

"Jia," insisted Tala flatly, "stop wasting your time. We are not friends and we never will be."

Jia shrugged her shoulders. "I know you're lying," she answered.

"_Jia_,"

"_Tala_," Jia snapped back, looking at her, "_you_ are the one wasting your time. We are in the same sector. You are not getting rid of me, so enough trying. What are you so afraid of? Why will you not talk to me?"

"I can't," said Tala, "Not yet."

"When you figure it out, tell me," said Jia, "But you still can't finish these alone, so I'll help you."

* * *

Chase came back every day with a new bundle of clothes to mend. And though Jia had every intention to help her with the sewing, Chase would always find some excuse to run Jia out of the room, leaving him and Tala alone.

The excuse for today, though Tala took note that he had used it three times already, was for Jia to prepare some tea. He was sitting smugly in a chair opposite of Tala's mat, smiling at her as she re-mended the same shirt he had brought in twice last week.

"How you manage to rip a shirt three times in the same spot, I will never know," grumbled Tala, nipping the end of the string to finish the stitch.

"Training," said Chase, folding his arms and relaxing, "We must do the same exercises every day in order to perfect them. Ripping my clothes in the same spot shouldn't surprise you."

"I hadn't known," Tala spoke through her teeth and kept her eyes on the pocket she was now working on, trying her hardest not to become angry, "Forgive me, Honored Apprentice."

"You don't have to call me that, you know," said Chase with a pleasant smile, "I don't care."

"You may not, Honored Apprentice," she answered, "but as a girl servant I must show you the proper respect."

"Ugh, _enough_," he growled, "We have been dancing around this for weeks. You and I both know what needs to happen, and it's time to discuss it."

Tala could taste her own heartbeat. She looked at him, her throat running dry. "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about," he said with a grin, "Don't play dumb, Brave girl."

"You could have turned me in to the Elders by now and you haven't," snapped Tala, "Why?"

Chase shrugged with a light chuckle, "Because I want to know something,"

"And what would that be?" she asked.

Chase smiled. "Everything."

Jia returned then and placed the tea onto the counter beside Chase. She poured him a cup silently, eyes flickering to Tala then back to her task. "Thank you," Chase told her, "You may leave now. Tala can pour it if I want more."

Jia gave Tala a worried glance, but they both knew that there was no choice. A warrior's order could not be broken by any means.

"Yes, Honored Apprentice," she said before leaving silently.

"Why did you do that?" demanded Tala once Jia was gone, "A girl cannot be alone in a room with a man too long! People will talk! You know that!"

"People are already talking by my just being here," he pointed out, "People will _always_ talk. It's what they do. It doesn't matter."

"Doesn't _matter_?" she hissed, "_Of _course it matters! I can't give any reason for anyone to be suspicious of me!"

"And you won't," he answered, "so long as you keep doing as I say. Let me protect you."

"In exchange for..._everything,_"

"For being your friend," Chase corrected.

Tala could almost be swayed by the genuine kindness in his eyes, but she was wary of him. She could tell that Chase Young was clever. There was something else he wasn't saying. Chase leaned forward, folding his hands, and smiled warmly, "That's all I want," he said, "I want to understand you."

"So you bring me your torn clothes," said Tala slowly, "in order to understand me,"

"I protect your secrets," said Chase, "you show me your secrets. Besides, it was the only way to talk to you without drawing too much attention. Not to mention my clothes get to be fixed in the process."

There it was, the truth. "It's my magic you want," she concluded, "Why?"

"Just curious," he said, "I mean it. I've always wondered what it was like and now I get to know."

"Through me."

"Through you," he echoed, "Can you trust me to protect you?"

No, of course she couldn't. Tala smiled. "Of course," she said, "who better to guard my secret than the strongest Xiaolin apprentice in over five hundred years?"

Chase's smile broke genuinely into a happy sigh of relief. "We're going to be great, friends, Tala," he said, "I can feel it."

'_No_,' thought Tala in spite of her agreeing smile, '_We aren't_.'

* * *

Jia was asleep by the time Tala had reached the last article of clothing to sew for the night. She sighed when she ran her fingers along the shirt sleeve's hole, wondering how long it was going to take before she'd snap and kill that aggravating boy.

No, Tala would not let herself think that way. Papa would not have allowed it. But whenever she thought about Chase Young, she would get so angry. He was so arrogant!

"Let me protect you," she mumbled under her breath to mock him, "_pah_."

Tala was about to begin sewing when she noticed something odd about the sleeve. It was a shirt she had fixed twice before- _that _was no surprise- but this time she noticed something about the tear that she hadn't the last two times it was mended. The hole was not jagged, but smooth and clean. Even the string Tala had used to stitch it appeared to have been neatly taken out.

Tala gasped, enraged heat rising into her face. The candle beside her flared along with it, frightening her. Tala blew it out quickly, hoping Jia was not awakened by it. She held still for a minute and listened for Jia's breathing in the darkness. It was steady and light. To Tala's immense relief, Jia was dead asleep.

She could not see, but still had her thumb wrung through the hole. Tala brushed at the edge of the fabric. It _was _smooth.

"I knew it," she whispered angrily to herself, "I can't trust him."

He cut it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

_Four_ Like The Wind_

Chase could not stop smiling. Finally, he would be able to experience magic first hand instead of just having to read about it in the library scrolls. It would all be thanks to Tala. Sure, she was a little rough around the edges, and the poor girl had every right to be wary of people, but Chase knew that he could get her to trust him in time. Just like all of the other girls, she'd fall for his charms eventually. Nobody could resist a hero.

Besides, he never lied about wanting to be her friend; the kid had some spunk to her that he admired, but Chase couldn't deny what he wanted from Tala either. He wanted her knowledge, her experiences. He dreamed of feeling fire flicker between his fingers, of flight and seeing through the third eye. If Tala had the ability to do these things, time would tell. Chase planned to be there to witness it all. It would be their little secret, and his best chance at becoming the greatest warrior to ever live.

"Your little friend's back," said Dashi, sitting beside him on the bench, "Better run her off before Master Young notices and has a fit."

_Again? _Didn't she know how dangerous it was for her to even have one foot on this side of the Temple? He turned around and glared at Tala, who was standing right at the edge of the sand ring not too far off from the obstacle course, but far enough for Master Young not to notice her yet.

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, "I've got it."

The minute he came within hearing distance, Tala snarled at him, "You cut it!" Her usually subtle accent was thick with anger. She sounded like her mouth was full of cooked rice, really.

He ignored her. "Don't you know how dangerous this is?" he snapped, "Do you have _any_ idea what would happen to you if you were caught sneaking around here? This is a restricted area full of spiritual energy! Only the Xiaolin Dragons and apprentices can even step foot here! What are you doing?!"

Tala threw the shirt at him. "_This_ is what I am doing," she answered, her brogue like porridge. "You can blackmail me all you like, but I will not be tricked into it like a child!"

"_Blackmail_?" Is _that_ what she thought he was doing?

Tala turned on her heel and walked off before Chase could explain.

"_Tala_," he called after her, but knew better than to run her down. Oh well. At least she left before his father could notice. Chase would just have to find some way to straighten this out with her later.

* * *

Tala took another breath. She needed to relax.

She was meditating beneath her willow tree, trying to clear her mind. Too much stress meant a loss of control over her powers and Tala could not afford to be any angrier with Chase. She felt unstable enough as it was.

Tala liked meditating. It was more to her than just a way to keep her magic in check. All of her senses felt heightened whenever she closed her eyes and stilled her body. She could hear the whisper of the wind in the trees, the sparrows still flying south overhead. She could feel the cold nip her face with its sharp teeth, but she liked that. The bitterness of it on Tala's nose and cheeks kept her centered, in control.

But no matter how cold she felt, her hands ached with burning heat. Every time Tala closed her eyes, Chase's smug grin entered the forefront of her mind. She hated him!

It had been several days since she last saw Chase and the fire in her hands had not yet died down. She claimed being sick to get out of her chores and to keep herself away from people until it did and snuck out once Jia had left the kitchen to hide here and try her best at calming down. This was the longest Tala's magic had been active. It made her dangerous.

To make matters worse, Tala could feel uneasiness crawl up her back. It was as silent and as slow as a spider on a windowsill, inching closer and closer to Tala's heart. In the back of her mind were harsh whispers, telling Tala that she had made a mistake by confronting him. Chase would tell the Elders in retaliation, and she would be killed. She hated to admit it, but she was afraid. Tala could hear the phantom screams of her mother, soon to be her own, at the back of her mind.

Chase would be there too, she knew. Would he watch her die? Would he be glad? The heat flared again at the thought of his arrogant face disappearing behind the flames. Orange flooded into her mouth, setting off panic. No! She could not release her magic like this!

"Stop thinking about him," Tala growled, her whole body shaking from the held back power, "calm down."

"Don't fall in love with me now,"

Tala turned, spinning so fast that she was able to stand when she faced him. Chase was smiling, laughing, even. Her hands were so hot that they physically began to hurt. Tala's magic was _begging_ to be released on this idiot.

"Leave me alone!" she shouted.

"Hey, hey," said Chase, raising his hands in surrender while sauntering forward, "relax, I was kidding!"

"Don't come any closer," warned Tala, "I am too angry right now, and my magic cannot be controlled when I'm angry."

"Then don't be angry," he said with a smooth smile, "Witches need to learn how to control their emotions because it's the source of their power, right?"

"My mum said so, yes," she admitted, "So stay back."

"Okay," he said, retreating a step, "I'll stay back."

"Why are you here?" she demanded, "Why do you keep toying with me?"

"I'm not," Chase snapped. He looked insulted, a sharp glare hardening his eyes, "I'm actually trying to help you!"

"Help me?" she yelled, "By _what_? Terrifying me? Raising the risk of my magic being exposed by letting me think that I was going to die? Was _that _helping?"

"That's not-" Chase cut himself off and took a breath, his eyes softening. "Look," he said, "I'm sorry. I never meant to scare you or make you mad. I just wanted to be your friend. That's it."

"I find that hard to believe," said Tala, crossing her arms, "You cut those clothes. You were doing it on purpose to mess with me!"

Chase rolled his eyes. "I already told you," he explained, "It was the only way to talk to you while still drawing the least amount of attention. All I've _done_ since we've met is try to protect you! Why can't you understand that?"

"Because all you've _done _is make me fear for my life!"

"What else can I _say_?" asked Chase desperately, "I'm sorry! I'm sorry."

The heat began to subside and Tala finally, after days of feeling on edge, could feel her body relax. It left her feeling cold but oddly satisfied.

"I'm sorry, Tala," said Chase, reaching out a hand to her, "I just want to help you. Can you let me do that?"

Tala stared at his hand. Chase smiled and with a shrug of his shoulders said, "I'll say it again a hundred times if I have to, but I'm not leaving until we decide to become friends."

Tala could not help but smile genuinely at his joke. However, the thought of letting him in was not a very tempting one, no matter how lonely she felt.

"Friends," she said, "You wouldn't want to be friends with me."

"Of course I do," he answered, "Come on, kid, would I really be sitting here letting my fingers freeze if I didn't? Trust me, Tala. Not everyone is out to get you."

Tala felt her throat tighten. "Okay," she said, her full voice pushing past the stone, "Friends, then."

A voice from behind Chase boomed, "_What is going on here_?"

Surprised, Tala's magic flooded her mouth with its orange taste. Her body radiated with heat in the split second before it rushed out of her, tossing Chase aside as easily as a leaf caught in the wind. He lay crumpled at the base of the willow, still and silent.

In his place stood a man dressed in white Masters' robes, his long hair pulled up halfway into a warrior's knot. His sharp features and bright eyes were a shocking similarity to Chase's and Tala knew at once who he was: Master Keyota Young.

He rushed her, yanking at Tala's arm fiercely. "You will not escape, witch," he said. The man's face was inches from hers, "Now lift your enchantment from my son or I swear to you, you will be _begging_ for that fire!"

He hollered over his shoulder, "Guards! Someone call the guards! My son needs help!"

Maids had already flooded the gateway, poking their nosy heads in after hearing Master Young's yelling. "Don't just stand there like hens," he shouted at them, "My _son_! Help my son!"

"And _you_," he snarled, looking back to Tala, his grip tightening. Tala could feel herself bruising. "You will unspell Chase," he said, tossing her toward the tree, "and then I shall bring you before the Council, and you will atone for your crimes."

Tala fell onto her knees at Chase's head. "I knew I should never have trusted you," she whispered to him, crying, "I'm so sorry, Chase. I never wanted to hurt you!"

Master Young grabbed Tala by the collar of her dress. "Unbind him," he ordered, but Tala could not. She instead kept on weeping, "_Unbind him_!"

"I can't!" she cried, "I don't know how!"

Master Young dragged Tala to her feet. "Then you have sealed your fate," he hissed into her ear, "Killing a man is punishable by death."

* * *

Tala fell to the floor, her hands slapping against the polished jade. They stung but the pain kept her in check when her magic flooded her mouth again like orange bile. Tala focused on her hands, willing herself to hold on.

She was shocked by her own reflection, clear and clean like a mirror. Mangled hair spiderwebbed down her face and peeking through were her sleep-deprived eyes, bright silver and full of fear.

"No," she begged under her breath, the sharpness blurring under her tears. '_What's happened to me_!'

"Get up," hissed Master Young, pulling Tala to her feet by the rest of her braid, now loose and in a tangled mess. She cried out and clawed at his hands to let go, struggling to break free.

Through the haze of her tears, the bright light of the flickering candles, hundreds of them, stung her eyes. They burned against the darkness of the room like stars. Under the glow, Tala could just barely see the shapes of men sitting along the edges of the jade circle pit, each one of them dressed in thick robes that spilled from their mats and over the ridges of the steps.

"What is the meaning of this, Master Young?" demanded one of them, his voice crackling like dead leaves, "Why have you interrupted our meditation?"

"There are more important things," snapped Master Young, "We have a witch in our midst."

Tala's vision began to clear as her tears dried, though the glow of the candles still darkened the faces of the Elders. One of them leaned forward, his bald head shining like the jade circle. "A witch," he said with a raspy chuckle, "What has the child done? Has she floated an egg on water? Or enchanted the chickens to walk in rows, perhaps?"

"_This_," hissed Master Young lifting Tala up to stand straight with a painful yank of her hair, "is no child! This monster has enchanted my son and I fear for his life! For _weeks_ Chase has been acting strangely! He has been restless, eating very little at mealtimes, sneaking away from training at any chance, and then I find him with _her_."

He tossed Tala again to the ground but this time she was unable to catch herself. Collapsing under her own weight, Tala was only just able to shield her face from the blow with the crook of her elbow. She could not help it now, she cried. She cried so hard that her entire body shook and shrank within itself. It was useless pleading for her life. They were going to kill her.

"And when I found them," continued Master Young, "this _thing_ bashed my son against a tree to keep him from testifying against her!"

There was silence after the echoes of Master Young's shouts had faded. Tala held her breath, struggling to calm herself.

"Possession," mused the laughing one, his voice now grave with suspicion, "How can a child be so powerful?"

"I do not know," admitted Master Young, "But I know what I have seen. This creature in child's skin is a monster that must be destroyed."

"Do you have any proof that Chase Young was possessed by this girl?" a voice from the shadows asked.

Tala lifted her head, heart pounding with hope.

All of the Elders turned to see who had spoken and out from the shadows, his robes dyed the royal color of red, stepped forth the Xiaolin Temple's Grand Master Wei. His white beard flowed to the ground, dusting the golden hem of his robe. Like in ancient paintings, the Grand Master's earlobes had been stretched so long that they brushed his shoulders, and the almost mystical way his eyes sparkled when he met Tala's eye spoke of his sagely wisdom. He smiled a little at her, reminding Tala to turn her eyes down quickly. She did not want to displease such a powerful man.

"She tried to kill my _son_," insisted Master Young, making Tala cringe, "With all do respect, Grand Master, I saw her throw him against a tree with her magic! I do not even know of his condition! Chase could be dead!"

"While it is true that this is indeed a tragedy," he answered, lifting a palm away from the scroll box he was carrying in order to soothe the master, "Your judgement, Master Young, has been clouded by your love for the boy. You and I know very well that nothing is as it first seems."

"Forgive me, Grand Master," interrupted one of the Elders, "But the law _clearly states_ that the girl must be punished in any other case, witch or no- she still attacked a man and dishonored him. We must deal with her accordingly."

"And what would you have us do, Master Honghui," snarled another from across the room, "burn her alive and make an example of this child?"

"Yes," he answered sharply, "The law is the law and it must be abided. We are not all as woman-hearted as you, Master Yaozu. Some of us still look to our minds to reason."

"You wish to snuff out the life of a frightened child, Master Honghui," said Grand Master Wei quietly, "Does that make us any better than the Heylin?"

The echoes of the Grand Master's retort filled the room with a whisper.

_Heylin_. Tala had heard that word before. It brought back a memory, vague and fleeting, of her mother's stories.

"Whether the girl is innocent or not," continued Grand Master Wei, "is not my concern. But as Grand Master of this Temple, I must oversee all matters of the Council. This is my unrivaled decree: This child is not to be harmed, _regardless_ of Master Young's testimony."

"_What_?" shouted Master Young, leading the entire chamber in a chorus of protests, "She is dangerous! We do not know what her magic is capable of!"

The men began to argue with each other, some siding with the Grand Master as the head of Council and others calling for Tala's head, as decreed by the law.

"What is _dangerous_," said Grand Master Wei loudly enough to bring order back to the room, "can also be tamed and made passive,"

Then, with a nod at Tala and an encouraging smile, he added "with the proper tools and teaching."

"What is your interest in this witch" demanded Master Young, "Why spare this one's life when you have burned countless others in your own time?"

He looked to Master Young with a sharp eye and answered, "I have reason to believe that this child has a higher calling, one that can shape the course of history should we train her correctly."

Tala looked at him blatantly now, too shocked by his words to remember her place. She held her breath to keep her teeth from rattling, though her hands shook all the same.

"Dojo," called the Grand Master. The scroll box in his hands opened and out of it slithered the most peculiar snake Tala had ever seen.

His scales were as green as the jade floor, accompanied by a red beard beneath his chin the same vibrancy as his master's robes. Atop his head were two strange crests that curled then fanned out like wings on either side behind his eyes. But the oddest thing about him were his arms, thin and unnatural, with talons sharper than any knife she had ever seen rounding out at the end of his paws. Held between them was the scroll itself, large and just barely gripped by the creature it dwarfed.

"At your service, Grand Master Wei," he said, curling his lips back into a comical smile

"You know what to do," Grand Master Wei told him. Dojo's smile widened and he dropped the bottom half of the scroll, letting it trail out until it rested at Tala's hands with a light tap.

Tala looked at what was printed on it, but did not understand. They were just characters- men's letters. They meant nothing to her. The only symbols she recognized were the four elements, but even there she had trouble discerning which was meant for what.

The men, however, fell so silent that the room itself grew still.

"How can this be?" gasped Master Young, his face paling. He looked at Tala, his throat bobbing. His eyes were not filled with the fire of anger. That fire had been doused to coals, the smoke of distrust still lingering around them, though she could not understand the meaning why.

"You may rise, young lady," said the Grand Master, "Get to your feet. Quickly, now."

Tala did as she was told, though her limbs were weak and shaking. The Elders each began to slowly bow to her, one by one in the circle until Master Young himself gave a swift, rigid one of his own. It was surreal. What had just happened?

"My child," said the Grand Master kindly, "Do you know what those characters say down near your feet?"

Tala shook her head. "No, Grand Master," she whispered, her throat too dry from crying to make a proper sound.

He smiled and with a small dip of his head and a sweep of his hand said, "It is your name."

* * *

Chase jolted awake. He felt his breath rush back into him, surging his body with energy. He looked down at his hands, catching his breath. Gripping the sheets covering his legs, Chase realized that he must have been in the medical quarters.

"They're going to kill her, you know,"

Chase whipped his head over to see a maid sitting in a chair beside the doorway, glaring at him. It was her, that girl who lived with Tala in the kitchens. Her lips were puckered with a disapproving frown and her dark eyes were murderous.

"Is that what you wanted," she asked accusingly, "to have Tala killed?"

"What are you talking about?" he demanded, "What happened?"

"You don't _know_?" she snapped, "She was caught. Because of _you._"

"Did you know?"

The maid shrugged. "I figured it out around the same time that you began showing up," she admitted, "I was just waiting for her to tell me."

"Why didn't you go to the masters?"

"_Why didn't you_?"

"I was trying to protect her," snapped Chase.

"No," argued the maid, "That's what _I_ was doing. All you did was get Tala killed."

"You better watch your _mouth_, woman," said Chase, "know your place. You are lucky that I care for Tala or I would have slapped you for talking in defiance."

"If you care for her," she answered, "go save her. The Elders may have given their verdict already, but the voice of a Xiaolin Dragon in training could possibly stop them long enough to hear the truth. You and I both know that she didn't attack you."

This was his fault. If Chase had just talked to Tala outright about his plan instead of hiding the incisions in his clothes, this would never have happened. That little girl was now going to be vilified and even killed because of his negligence. He shuddered at the thought. "Who knows?"

"Everyone,"

"How many days has it been?"

"One," answered the maid, "But you know how rumors spread. Talk is like wildfire."

Chase jumped out of his bed and raced for the door. He was about to run out when she pulled on his shirt. "One last thing," she told him.

He glared down at her, "What?"

"You need your coat," she said, pulling it out from under her chair and handing it to him, "They won't take you seriously in those night clothes."

* * *

The Elders had spent the past twenty-four hours discussing what to do about the revelation the Grand Master had received about the little witch. By all right accounts, Tala should have been executed, branded a monster and an enemy to all of China, but here she was sitting on a small mat in the jade-lined hall, drinking tea and awaiting their decision.

She was seated beside Grand Master Wei. He winked down at her when she snuck a peek at him and Tala quickly looked away politely. She traced the bottom edge of her cup with her finger, nervous and a little more than wary of the Grand Master and his strange kindness.

"Do not be afraid, young one," he told her, leaning down to talk into Tala's ear, "Death no longer has his sights on you. The Elders only want what is best for our Temple, and in this moment that is you."

"_Me_?" she whispered.

"_Yes_," he chuckled, "Whether they wish to believe it or not. Either way, they must accept."

'_Accept what_?' she thought. Tala still knew nothing of what had occurred with the scroll. Her name was in it, and that frightened the Masters, but that was all she knew.

"Grand Master," said Tala, "Why was my name in that scroll?"

"You ask bold questions, little maid," he mused.

"Forgive me,"

"No," he said with a smile, "to ask is to learn and to learn is to thrive. Never be ashamed of wanting to understand. The greatest minds ask the boldest questions. You, my dear, have the makings of a _scholar_ in you."

"Pardon my rudeness, Grand Master," she muttered, shifting the cup in her hands, "but, my name-"

Grand Master Wei laughed. "Oh, yes," he said heartily, "and you are _persistent_ too! Be smart, Tala. Don't let the answers get away from you. Now, to answer your question, you will understand shortly."

As he said this, the doors to the Jade circle opened, the ornate golden dragons on each door unlatching their claws from one another as they swung wide. "It appears," said the Grand Master taking Tala's tea and placing it on the tray beside him with his own cup, "that the Elders have come to a decision. Stand with me."

She kept time with him, careful not to stand before he could rise. Tala's fingers tapped against her thumbs. She counted them- one, two, three, four; one, two, three, four- over and over to keep from focusing on her shaking legs and the heat in her palms.

A eunuch came from the darkened doorway and ushered them in. Tala wondered how she could walk, being so nervous. She thought she might vomit, but the presence of Grand Master Wei walking beside her grounded her in the moment and out of her head, where fear could bite at her.

"Have you come to a decision?" asked the Grand Master as he and Tala sat on the two mats placed in front of them before the Council.

"Yes," answered Master Yaozu, "It has been decreed by law that as a witch, the girl must die, and in light of the Scroll's revelation, we hereby announce that Tala Bao, charged with the crime of witchcraft, is-"

Light flooded in from the hall as someone burst in. "Stop," they shouted, "She is innocent! Stop everything!"

Tala shielded her eyes from the light, and though she could not see him, she knew that voice well. "_Chase_?"

"What is the meaning of this outburst, Chase Young?" shouted one of the Elders, rising to his feet.

"Tala Bao is innocent!" he insisted, "She didn't attack me! She's just a little kid who's scared. She didn't mean to hurt me."

"The Elders still have yet to reach a verdict," said the Grand Master calmly, "I invite you to sit down with us to hear it. I am sure your friend would appreciate the company."

He said this, gesturing to the eunuch to bring another mat for Chase. He quickly replied and placed it beside Tala.

"_I-_," Chase choked, "Forgive me for my hysterics, Grand Master. I did not realize-"

"You are forgiven," he interrupted, "You _are_ your father's son, after all. Please, take your seat and we shall speak no more of it."

Chase bowed to the Grand Master, but Tala winced inwardly with sympathy at the unsubtle insult. His jaw was set with reluctance, but Chase did as he was told.

"Hey," he whispered to Tala as he sat down, "that was embarrassing, huh?"

Tala ignored him and turned her attention to the men who had decided her fate. Master Yaozu smiled warmly, the folds of his long face and sagging neck reminding Tala of a tortoise. "May I continue with the verdict, Grand Master?" he asked patiently.

Grand Master Wei waved a hand in dismissal. Master Yaozu nodded, his smile warm. Looking to Tala, he said, "Tala Bao, over the remainder of the day and the course of the night, we the Council of Elders have come to conclude that, you are here by… _free_."

Tala's heart stopped. She was unsure if she had heard him correctly. It made no sense to her. The word sounded foreign, made up.

"And that is not all," added on Grand Master Wei, rising to his feet, "I have come to find that you are very special, young one."

"But how," she wondered. Tala could feel her face grow ugly with the threat of bawling, "_How_ am I free? How could-"

"I did not believe what Master Young had testified against you," answered Master Yaozu, his shoulders shaking from the strain of craning his neck, "_several_ of us did not, in fact. You have divided our Council, young lady. And, though some of us _may_ use our minds, I know better to use my sense. I have seen many witches burned under our verdict and none looked any bit as sorry as you did lying on that floor, crying your eyes out for a boy you might have killed. If you were truly a witch, you would have been glad."

Tala felt Chase's eyes on her and out of the corner of hers, she could vaguely see a frown on his face.

"Witches cannot hide their joy at another's pain," explained another Elder, "It is how many have been caught. A witch may be able to lie, but she cannot when it comes to murder. Her magic is designed to harm and when she succeeds in such a deed, she becomes euphoric."

"In ancient times," interrupted Master Honghui sharply, "It was said that the Xiaolin Dragons once possessed magic themselves, but we have lost such an art. Perhaps _you_ are the key to reawakening it."

"Me?" she asked, "What do I have to do with the Xiaolin Dragons?"

"You are destined to _be_ one, my dear, said Master Yaozu through a kindly laugh, "And a powerful one too, I'd suspect. With you, the elemental cycle is complete. Fire, Water, Earth, and now,"

He gestured to her with a wave of his feeble hand, his eyes deadlocked on hers. "_Air_,"

"That was what the scroll had said yesterday," she said, "wasn't it? My name was in it because this is my destiny?"

They were not going to spare her life because she was innocent! They were sparing it to save their own skins! Orange coated her tongue, but Tala swallowed it down and in spite of her hands burning, she folded them in her lap, tapping her fingers together- one, two, three, four; one, two, three, four.

"Do not be alarmed, Tala," assured Master Yaozu, "The others were your exact age when the Scroll of Ages chose them to fill the other elements. With their guidance, you shall be able to rise to their ranks with ease."

"But how can I compete?" she protested, "I am a girl! It is not right for a girl to take on a man's role!"

"While that _is_ normally true," interrupted Chase, "If the Scroll chose you, then you are as capable as any man would be. If you weren't you would never have been named."

"_However_," said Master Honghui smugly, "Your magic must be contained. Any more accidents like this will give us no choice but to charge and execute you. Use your magic for the good of all. Fail, and you shall die."

"Oh, enough with your theatrics, Yan," snapped Grand Master Wei, "You are frightening the girl!"

Master Honghui's smile dropped, silenced by the Grand Master's flared temper. It was not even a half-moment later that Grand Master Wei smiled to Tala with kindness and said to all in the room, "In truth, this girl is not a witch. A true witch uses her magic to force her will upon another to cause harm, dealing the most damage toward those who are good. A witch despises kindness in all of its forms. This girl has not met any of those requirements by my judgement. She has been given a rare gift and still has yet to learn how to wield it. We should see this as an opportunity to bring the Xiaolin Dragons back into their magical birthrights. My decree is that Tala Bao is to be given a guardian until that day arrives. One that will keep her secret hidden, dismiss the rumors spread about her over this _unfortunate_ mishap, and protect her in all things."

He looked at Chase and Tala's heart sank, '_Oh, please no_.'

"Chase Young," he said, "You were the first to discover her and so it is _you_ who should have the honor to keep Tala Bao safe from those who would wish to harm her should they _also_ learn of her gifts. Can I entrust you to that?"

Chase looked just about as unsure and as terrified as Tala felt. In fact, he looked rather sick over the sudden responsibility, but he bowed to the Grand Master, saying, "I accept."

* * *

**AN: I'm glad that's all over so I can now finally move on to the Xiaolin Dragon shenanigans. Until next time, my friends!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

_Five_ Of Things To Come_

The clothes they had given Tala were worn, faded by the years they spent unused among the treasures of the last Air monk, though unlike the other treasures they were not three hundred years old. They were recently made in vibrant yellow, hastily cut and fitted in preparation for her. The robes were a tad too big at the waist and the hem of the shirt cut down below her knees. To remedy this, Tala had been given a sash to tie the pants more securely around her middle underneath the faded black hand-me-down belt of a long since advanced trainee.

Grand Master Wei assured her that these robes were temporary until a more form-fitting set of the same color could be made for her. It was imperative, he had said, for Tala to be seen in the proper robes- the color not so much representing her element, but rather what _she_ represented.

As the Xiaolin monk of Air, Tala was the keeper of fortitude: the inner strength of all men to press on whatever odds they may deffy. It was yellow that represented it, the color of rebirth and revitalization in spring after the harshness of winter. In spite of Tala feeling like she might drown in her own clothes, the Grand Master made it quite clear that what Tala now wore was a piece of history and heritage passed down to her and were to be treated with the utmost respect.

Tala scoffed inwardly to herself, fiddling with one of her sleeves that kept on slipping past her wrist while Master Young explained the Dragons' history to her. The lesson was not so much boring as it was uncomfortable having to stand in her new quarters with him as they were being arranged.

"The Cycle of Four has been broken until now," he explained as women ran back and forth, rearranging the room, "For the past three hundred years the Xiaolin Dragon of Air has been lost. Before that we were strong, and as the Grand Master claims, had magic of our own. These quarters I present to you now have been preserved with care by the Council, hoping one day to revive it with the renewal of completion in the Xiaolin Dragons' line."

Tala found her new home to be spacious. Too large for her, in fact. The main room had hardly anything in it other than the brand new sleeping mat, crisp and white, and a mirror in the corner. The adjacent room was much smaller, meant as a back patio with two mats and a tea table set between them to entertain a guest. The paper door in front of them was opened to air out the quarters as maids passed in and out of the doorway, carrying in Tala's new belongings.

"What are these things?" she asked the Master, watching a trunk be carried in by two eunuchs.

"They are your inheritance as the next Air Dragon," he told her, "There is not much. Most of what should have belonged to the Dragon warriors was lost in the war centuries ago and more so of yours disappeared after the death of your predecessor."

The chest was set down beside a pair of swords gently laid atop a rug still neatly rolled in the opposite corner. Master Young's constant frown lightened as he watched her stare at it and said, "You will find no gold there, if that is what you're thinking. The Dragons were rich in culture, not gems or jewels. Most likely in that chest of yours there will be scrolls and maps."

"Forgive me, Master," said Tala, feeling guilty, for she _had_ thought of gold, "I did not mean to-"

Master Young waved her off with an elegant snap of his wrist. "No need to apologize," he said, "I was the same when Grand Master Wei showed me my own quarters."

"Grand Master Wei was your teacher?"

Master Young's face returned to stone and Tala wished desperately to take her question back. He never liked her questions. In fact, he hardly liked her speaking at all. This was the most conversation she had with him in the past four days. He was civil; not once had he said anything of ill will to her since his testimony, but Tala knew that his hatred for her was still strong.

"Come," he said stiffly, "share tea with me."

They sat opposite of each other at the tea table, the steaming pot already placed there for them gleaming against the rare winter sun. Tala kept her eyes on her hands as she prepared their cups, feeling more self conscious now than ever before. She dreaded having him as her teacher and she knew that he dreaded her as a pupil, but neither could change or challenge what the Grand Master had decided.

"To be perfectly honest," said Master Young, accepting the cup Tala handed to him, "I do not trust you, Tala Bao."

She did not trust herself either. With a nervous swallow, Tala nodded submissively. A maid attempted to place some dumplings onto the table, but the Master shooed her away like an annoying fly. Tala turned the cup, breathing slowly to steady the knives in her stomach.

"Grand Master Wei believes that you are to be our savior, aiding us with your magic and somehow restoring the powers the Xiaolin has lost," he said. Leaning forward and with a low voice he added, "But _I_ do not think so."

Tala shivered, the coldness of his voice weighing upon her shoulders like the falling snow outside. She twisted her cup back again, fighting the urge to cry, nearly choking on how sick she felt. A whimper bubbled up into her throat.

"Stop your sniveling and look at me," he snapped, "You are no longer a timid girl servant. You are a Xiaolin warrior. Act like one."

Tala looked up, her stomach churning when she saw that the fire in his amber eyes relit with suspicion and disgust. He had every right. She had given very little reason for anyone to trust her, least of all her new master.

"Do you _want _to know what I think, young warrior?" he asked her with a slight smile.

"Sir," she answered with a nod.

The Master's stare was calculated and gleamed with malice as he said, "I believe that you are dangerous. If I had my way in that Council room, you would have burned for what you did to my son."

"I do not blame you, sir," said Tala, willing herself with all of her might not to look away in fear.

"Are you frightened," he asked, "of my saying such a thing?"

Her voice shook and her stomach tightened, but she held his gaze bravely and said, "Yes."

Master Young broke the staring contest and poured himself some more tea. "You should not be," he assured her, "As the next Xiaolin Dragon of Air and the one to bring the Cycle to completion, you are not allowed to be harmed. To be honest, your new status is all that is holding me back from reaching across this table and killing you myself."

"Yes, sir," she said, relieved to not have to look him dead in the face anymore.

The man unnerved her worse than his son ever could. Tala could see now where Chase had gotten his startling eyes and intensity from. She took a breath and asked, "Why are you telling me this?"

Master Young's eyes flickered back to her, as quick as a flame on a candle. He snorted and refilled her cup as well. "Because," he said, "I do not want you to think me prejudice when I become your Master. You must know of my full intentions before your training begins. I will push you to your limits and you will hate me for it, perhaps even surpassing my own animosity for you. But that will be on account of your lack of abilities, _not_ because I hate you and wish you dead."

"I do not understand,"

"I treat all of my students equally, young one," he told her, "I push them to strive for their full potential. I told you that I distrust you so now you have no question in the way I see you. You must know that in spite of my personal feelings, my only goal from this point forward is to mold you into a warrior that can properly claim the title of a Xiaolin Dragon. I will expect nothing less of you."

Tala bowed, not knowing what else to say or do other than accept the strange honor, if she could even call it that, "Thank you, Master."

* * *

Tala scrambled to save herself from falling, her hand just barely scraping the ground before she twisted around to face her opponent dead on. With her still off balance, the other warrior took the advantage by hooking the back of her wobbling leg with his foot. She tripped and fell back, sand spraying everywhere and a painful throb spreading like cracked ice on the back of her head.

The gong rang and the boy relaxed to bow. Tala squeezed her eyes shut against the pain and embarrassment, laying there a half moment longer in her self pity, before pushing herself up from the ground. She opened her eyes, just barely blinking them back into focus. She was just so _tired_.

The boy reached out a hand to her, smiling. Tala allowed him to help her up, but did not return the friendly gaze.

"Tala," called Master Young sternly, "how many times must I say it; keep your body aligned at the center! You must balance your weight properly when you come out of a strike, else you will fall whether by your opponent's volition or not."

"Yes, Master," answered Tala, sweeping her bow low, "Thank you."

Master Young rang the gong a second time. "Again," he instructed, "Begin with the horse stance this time. Even _you_ could not mess that up."

Heat prickled at Tala's fingertips. She balled her hands, willing it away before the familiar dreaded taste of orange could coat her tongue. It was hard enough keeping her focus with sleep still scratching at the back of her mind. She did not want to move until she was sure the magic had subsided.

"Have your feet turned to stone, warrior?" called Master Young, "Horse stance. _Now_."

Tala sucked in breath, cooling her mouth to soothe herself, and released it. '_Relax_,' she thought, fighting off a yawn, '_Slowly, Tala_. Just a few more sets.'

Being sure to keep her feet flat, Tala readied her hands, stretching her arms out with balled fists. She tucked them up at her waist and spread her feet to be a hair wider than her shoulder width, struggling to keep herself balanced as she crouched. She turned to face her opponent directly, being sure to only twist the front foot to point in his direction. She wobbled slightly, realizing that her core was leaning a bit too forward. Her eyes blurred again.

"Keep your spine _straight_," Master Young warned, "Honestly, trainee, I sometimes wonder if you truly have one."

"_Chunuis_," Tala cursed under her breath, straightening herself. He knew exactly why she could not hold her balance!

"Much better," said Master Young, lucky to not have heard her. To Tala's opponent, he said, "Guan, don't just knock Tala down this time. _Anyone_ can do that. This is an assessment of you both. I want to see what you have applied this quarter."

Guan nodded and shifted into a mirror of her, mimicking the horse stance. He took a deep breath too, watching her with worried eyes. He must have noticed the dark circles under hers.

"Begin,"

Guan charged her, his arms ready for a punch. Tala used that to her advantage, jumping up and using them as a springboard to kick off of and lift herself high above his head from the momentum of her own sprint. She brought the kick down, but he was fast.

Catching her foot, Guan tossed Tala away, only just giving her enough time to spin and face him again before he sent her flying with a kick of his own. The blow knocked the wind from her. She nearly panicked, unable to breathe as she lay on the ground, but the air returned within a few long seconds. The gong chimed again as Tala caught her breath, struggling not to cry. The exhaustion was getting to her.

It had already been a year of training under Master Young alongside the other three Dragon hopefuls, and still Tala was nowhere near the apprentice rank. Tala wondered if her Master would _ever_ grant her the apprentice belt. Even if he did, she was still eons away from catching up to the boys- all three already beginning to train under the Wudai rank.

In spite of this, she was glad to not feel so alone. Guan himself was also struggling to keep up, though he was much closer to his goal than Tala was to hers. It was why Master Young had paired them together for the assessment; they both needed to be pushed.

"Get up, Trainee," called Master Young, "Continue again with the cat stance, and be sure to keep your weight balanced on your back leg. Do not be afraid of falling over."

Tala pushed herself up and when Guan offered his assistance the second time she spurned him, sulking off back to her beginning spot.

She rested her front leg on the the ball of her foot, being sure to complete the form with no weight on it. Tala realized what Master Young was suggesting. The cat stance was one that used the front leg to either fluidly glide into another stance or kick the opponent. With one arm raised above her head and the other tucked at her side, Tala confidently faced Guan, a new plan of attack surfacing in her mind. She could make this quick.

The gong rang.

This time she let Guan come to her. Tala ducked back into the horse stance when he leapt at her and swept her leg under him, knocking the ball of her heel into his ankle. Guan tumbled and Tala sought her chance to uppercut him in the chin as she sprang back up. He fell onto his back for the first time today.

Relief gave Tala a short lived spurt of new energy that she used to smile. "_Finally_."

"Nicely done, both of you," said Master Young. He rang the gong twice, signifying that the match was over and the two could relax. Guan rubbed his jaw as he sat up, cracking it to ease the pain.

"Sorry," said Tala, wincing with sympathy, "I guess that trick was a bit dirty."

"You were frustrated," Guan answered, not looking at her, "I understand."

Guan's scowl was not as forgiving as his words were. Neither was the rushed way he picked himself off of the ground as their Master approached them. His back and broad shoulders were rigid, standing him taller than usual. Befitting of the Earth Dragon apprentice, he dwarfed her as a mountain would a tree. He did not look down but Tala knew that he could feel her watching him. His jaw clenched, giving his feelings away.

She wanted to apologize, but the wave of weariness washed over her again and she lost the energy. Tala fought not to sway on the balls of her feet. She nearly lurched forward, blinking to keep her sight from blurring again.

Master Young applauded them as he approached, his smirk smugly crooked when it came into Tala's focus. "You're improving, Tala," he said, "The Apprentice rank looks like it could be well within your reach,"

Tala's heart leapt into her throat at the compliment. Finally, after all of her hard work, some praise!

"…. In _five_ _more_ years,"

Nevermind. Tala bowed, avoiding having to look into his face. She did not want to give Master Young the satisfaction of seeing the disappointment in her eyes.

"And _you_, Guan," he added, "You've become more controlled in your forms but you are still far too slow. I may have to pair you with Dashi to see if he can push you to move more quickly. Perhaps _then_ you will show some improvement."

Guan also bowed. "Yes, Master Young," he said quietly.

"You are dismissed,"

Tala snuck a guilty look at Guan, but he avoided her and briskly walked off of the training sands. She watched him leave. Both exhaustion and her own disappointment choked Tala with desperation. She began to walk away, her gaze falling to the ground as her eyelids grew heavier.

"Girl,"

Tala looked at Master Young, the sudden stop in motion dragging down her limbs. He looked at her, and though he seemed more angry than concerned, he asked, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright, Master," she assured him.

"No you're not," he answered, "There's no use lying to me. I know those shadows aren't all from my training."

She looked down, too tired to defend herself.

"Nightmares," he said, "As a child, my son had them frequently. He hardly slept."

"What are you suggesting?" asked Tala, forgetting to keep her tongue placid.

Master Young sighed, but graciously forgave her audacity. "You have been slow at every other moment," he said, "yet you jump at the slightest touch. You've hardly eaten, I've noticed it in your cheeks; they've thinned."

"I will be better now that the assessments are over," said Tala tonelessly, fighting for her eyes to stay open, "I only need some rest."

He nodded, not looking to sure if he wanted to continue their conversation. Almost with concern, Master Young placed a hand on Tala's shoulder and solemnly looked her in the eye.

"That may be so," he answered, "but if these nightmares persist, I suggest that you tell them to someone close to you. Sometimes simply seeking counsel from a friend can be all one needs to cure their ails."

Tala set her jaw, angry that he would even touch her after making it quite clear how much she disgusted him from the moment they met. He had made it his mission for the past year to make Tala miserable, running her on extra sets and pushing her to her limits. Why the hell should he care now!

Tala ripped her shoulder away from him and glared at the Master square in his miserable eyes.

"Thank you," she bit, bowing, "_Master_."

Master Young looked shocked, his hand still hovering in the air as if he did not know what else to do. He curled it into a fist, his face hardening as it clenched, and brought it back down to his side. "Alright," he said with another curt nod, "Be sure to rest then. I expect you to be running the obstacle course at daybreak tomorrow morning with the other warriors."

Tala clenched her fists but said nothing, trying not to tell him things she would regret later, and nodded in acceptance of the order.

He gave her a look over with a judging flick of his eyes and said, "Good night, then," before dismissing her with the turn of his back.

She hated him. He _had_ warned her, but Tala couldn't help herself. She would never forget those words he told her a year ago when she began Dragon training. Master Young told her plainly of his hatred for her, how he wished her dead, but swore that he would train her without prejudice. That was a lie, it had to have been.

Master Young hardly let Tala have any rest at all. He would push her until she was tired and worn then push her further, sometimes until she collapsed. And now with these nightmares she had been having, Tala could hardly stay awake at all. It was a wonder she could still move. Why did he care now? What was Master Young's sudden interest in her well being? Didn't he _want _this?

* * *

"You don't have to keep doing this, Chase," said Tala.

"Hey, it's my job, right?" he told her with an easy smile, "Besides, who else is going to make sure you get back to sleep in the middle of the night?"

"I could ask Jia to," she suggested.

Chase frowned, pulling the sheet up to her chin. Jia, that stupid maid. She was all Tala ever really talked about since moving out of the kitchens. Jia had found out about Tala a year ago and blamed him for the masters finding out about Tala's magic. She had kept silent so far, but he had a bad feeling in his gut, especially with the way she looked at him whenever they crossed paths. He should have slapped her and her smart mouth when he had the chance.

"No," he snipped, "you don't want to risk it. I'm the only one besides the masters who knows, remember? You don't want to accidentally expose yourself."

He felt a little bad as he watched her face fall into sullenness. '_Sorry, kid_,' he thought, '_but I hate your friend._' Besides, he couldn't risk Jia taking Tala's trust away from him yet. Not until he got the information that he wanted out of her.

"Are you sure that you can stay awake tonight?" she asked him, a yawn swallowing the end of her question, "You have been working hard for the assessments too. I'm sure you also need rest."

Chase smiled, watching Tala burrow a little further into the comforter to keep herself warm. She was a cute little kid, he had to admit, when she acted like a normal one for a change. She was a lot more open now, not as serious and frightened as when they first met.

Spending a year as her guardian was hardly easy but with enough patience and a little charm, Chase earned some respect from Tala at the very least. And even though she had yet to really allow him around her as she practiced her magic, Chase was finally beginning to find a place in her heart.

That's why he couldn't afford any naysayers like Jia screwing up his chance at getting Tala to trust him enough to teach him how to use magic… if it were possible. Chase was determined. If there was even the smallest possibility that he could learn too, then he was not going to take any chances.

She smiled back at him, her half-moon eyes crinkling because of her round cheeks. "Promise to wake me up the minute things start levitating," she reminded him, "Even if I'm not crying."

"Relax, kid," he assured her, poking the middle of Tala's forehead, "I haven't let you down yet, have I?"

She giggled and brushed his hand away. "Thank you," she said, closing her eyes, "you really are a good friend, Chase,"

That was sweet. It felt good to hear her say that. Finally, his hard work was beginning to pay off.

"You know, Tal," he said, leaning his back against the wall as she settled in.

"Mmhmn,"

"Maybe I wouldn't have to keep watch for you so much," he suggested, "if you let me help you work on your magic,"

"Mmm,"

"So you wouldn't feel so stressed out, I mean,"

"Mmn,"

"Not that-" he struggled, "well, I mean, you shouldn't have to do _everything_ by yourself, right? I just think it'd be a little bit easier for you."

"Mmnhmn,"

"You think that's a good idea, don't you?"

Tala didn't answer. Chase turned his head to see her curled up on the mat, a ball beneath the blanket, breathing shallowly. He sighed; damn, so close too. Oh well, at least she was asleep. The kid had earned her rest.

He leaned back, turning his eyes to the ceiling. The candle beside him flickered, the dull light dancing on the ceiling peacefully. He wondered if someday he could make those flames dance by his own accord. He rubbed his hands together, their chalky dryness heating them up.

Chase longed for it. He could not understand why, but he wanted it more than anything. He wanted to feel the flames without burning his palms, to hold the very essence of power and passion in his hands. He wanted what should always have been his. He wanted magic.

But, for now Chase had to be patient. Tala herself was still a novice and if magic were anything like the martial arts, it would take quite some time for her to truly master anything. She would not be able to teach him until the day came when she could stand out in the open without the fear of hurting anybody else with her gifts. It was that same fear that held her back from doing exactly what she was striving for. It was a little more than infuriating for him to watch. He did not want to admit it, but he kind of hated her for that.

He watched the lights on the ceiling swirl hypnotically and yawned. Well, Tala was right about one thing- he _was_ tired. Chase yawned again, feeling his eyelids fall. He needed sleep…. Maybe just twenty minutes. He could worry about getting Tala to trust him when they both had fresher minds.

* * *

It was a memory, not like the other dreams.

Tala felt the dust and pebbles under her bare feet. She could smell the cooking fires in the huts of the other villagers near by. Papa was selling a part of their harvest from the past spring, squabbling over prices with an elder man. She watched him placidly, feeling very small beside the two men.

"Here, Morningstar," said Mama with a smile, reaching her arms out to Tala, "Come to mommy,"

Tala lifted her arms and let her mother cradle her against her shoulder. Sleepily, Tala rested her chin in the crook of her mother's neck, breathing in the scent of cloves.

She hated when Mama's hair was in a braid. Mama always wore it down at home, but never in public. She always told Tala it was more polite to, but she always looked a little sad saying it too. It wasn't until the day Mama died that Tala understood why.

"My sweet one," murmured Mama, running her fingers through Tala's hair, "My little mountain girl, I love you with all that I am."

Mama's hand stopped petting. It hung loosely with Tala's curls still wrapped around her fingers. A sharp pain dug into the back of Tala's neck as her mother's nails dug into it. Tala panicked and tried to break free, but the pain grew worse and ran deeper. Her mother's fingers felt like knives burrowing into her skin.

"Mama," she cried, "you're hurting me! Stop, Mama, stop!"

"The truth is, Tala Bao," hissed Mama, holding her at arms-length, "I don't trust you."

Mama smiled, the sweetness of it making Tala sick. It was all wrong. She looked like Mama, _smelled_ like Mama, but the woman holding her looked at Tala with a stranger's eyes. The silver she was used to seeing wasn't there. Her mother's eyes had turned green.

"Mama," begged Tala, "please don't hurt me! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to leave you! I'm sorry!"

"Oh, baby," cooed Mama. Dark marks began to etch themselves into Mama's cheeks. They swam out from below her horrible green eyes, fanning out like the feathers of a bird. She pulled Tala close again and kissed her forehead, whispering, "This is for your own good."

Mama hooked Tala onto a pole. By what seemed like magic, ropes tightened around Tala's arms. "_No, no, no, no," _she begged frantically, "Mama, stop!"

Tala struggled to break free as she began to smell the smoke. She didn't have to look down to know that there were sticks burning beneath her feet. Instead she looked at Mama, who stood there smiling, a disturbing look of motherly pride shining through it.

"Mama, please," begged Tala as smoke and tears blurred her mother's face, "Please help me!"

"No, Tala," she heard her mother say as the fire flared up and engulfed her vision, "Help yourself."

Tala jolted, finding immense relief that she was lying on solid ground, safe and sound. She fought against her own tears, trying to catch her breath in the darkness, wondering desperately where Chase was. He was supposed to wake her up!

A snore cued Tala to look look at her side. Chase was lying soundly asleep beside her, curled up comfortably next to her mat despite the cold hard floor. His candle had burned out, making it safe to guess that he had been sleeping for a while. It was a wonder the room hadn't caught on fire.

"_Pelóid air_," she hissed and pushed herself up, angry at him for breaking his promise.

Tala grabbed her night coat, oversized and borrowed from the extra stocks, and slid open the patio door. She needed air to clear her head and to stop herself from crying.

Snow had freshly fallen on the ground, reminding Tala of the night she had met that idiot a year ago. Even the tree beside the koi pond bridge overlooking her quarters, though it was a small decorative one instead of a willow, reminded her of him. She hated it.

Tala wanted to scream, but held her rage in, bottling herself up with the folding of her arms. It was a cold night at least, so the air felt fresh in her lungs, but this calmed her down only a little. Tala's heart still raced with the memory of the dream.

Those eyes. Why did she dream of her mother having green eyes? And those _markings_… Tala shivered against the cold and wondered what it all meant.

She stared at the small pond, leaning her body against one of the bridge's wooden poles. The water had frozen over already. She wished that time could freeze like ice so she could sleep without dreaming. Tala was beginning to grow sick of dreams.

She absentmindedly played with one of her braids. It had become thick and loose from her sleeping on it and she pulled out a few strands by accident when her fingers got caught in it. Tala tensed at the sharp tug, reminding herself of the nightmare. Tala punched the pole and instantly regretted it. Sucking on her fingers, she hissed another curse through her teeth.

The thicket beside her, leaves turned brown from the frost, rustled. Tala yelped and flinched, holding her hands up when something flew at her face. Cringing, she waited for whatever it was to attack, but nothing happened. Tala slowly brought herself to look up and with awe realized that it was a bird suspended in the air.

"What?" she whispered, both relieved and in shock. The mourning dove was trapped mid-flap, his wings bent and his tail flared outward.

"I...froze time," said Tala, "Or, at least, I froze _you_."

"No way,"

Tala turned, her panic releasing the dove. It fluttered away, making a hasty retreat above the rooftops. Tala, however, was not so lucky. She was caught in the sights of Dashi, who stood behind her, open mouthed.

Tala didn't bother running, not this time. Slowly, Tala turned to fully face him, not wanting to startle the elder boy into attacking her. "I can explain," she insisted, holding her hands up in surrender before he could say anything.

Dashi stood there, still blinking as if he himself had just awoken from a dream. He looked rather funny, wrapped up in his black night coat and thick boots. Honestly, he looked like a freshly laid egg with his shiny bald head resting upon the scarf that covered his neck. Whether it was from the odd-looking sight or from just being fed up and at her wits end, Tala snorted.

"Do you think this is funny?" snapped Dashi, the spell breaking, as he stormed toward her.

Tala backed up, clinging to the pole of the bridge as Dashi got into her face. She sunk into her shoulders, trying to make herself smaller.

"Do you know what could have happened if someone else _saw_ you?" he demanded, reminding Tala of the words Chase himself had told her.

"Actually, I-"

"You need to be more careful," he said sternly, "Absolutely _nobody_ can find out about this!"

Tala looked at Dashi, her face scrunching with confusion. "_What_ did you just say?"

Dashi was glaring, but behind his anger lay the softness of concern. "You know what I said," he told her, "It's for your own good. We have to keep quiet about this."

For her own good. Tala looked away, remembering her nightmare again. She shivered.

"Why?" she asked, her fingers curling around the fabric of her night coat.

"_Why_?" he echoed, "Because even if you _are_ destined to be a Xiaolin Dragon, they'll kill you. Being a witch is punishable by death, remember?"

Tala glared at him. "I meant why are you helping me?" she snapped, cursing herself for choking up in front of a near stranger, "What do you want from me?"

It was Dashi's turn to look confused. He backed away half a step as if she had slapped him. "What makes you think I want something?" he asked softly, "I just don't want to see a little kid get herself hurt."

Embarrassed, Tala folded her arms. "I'm not a little kid," she snapped, "I'm twelve now, an' I don't need your help."

"You're little to me," he offered with a smile.

"I don't care," huffed Tala, turning her back on him. She tried to calm herself down, watching the snow, now beginning to fall, dust the surface of the ice.

"So those rumors from last year were true," mused Dashi. He stood beside Tala now, watching the peaceful scene with her. "Chase was always a terrible liar."

Tala shrugged. "It's not his fault," she said, "The Elders ordered the both of us to keep quiet about it."

Shyly, she looked at him out of the corner of her eye. A blush brought heat up into Tala's neck when she said, "I'm sorry for not telling you, or Guan. It was all just a big mistake."

"What makes you say that?" asked Dashi with his own shrug, "You belong here as much as the rest of us."

"You don't know what happened."

"And you're not going to tell me,"

"No,"

Dashi sighed. "Are you scared?" he asked.

"Not so much anymore," Tala admitted, "I can control it better now, and it's good that I have Chase watching over me too."

"Is _that _why you guys spend so much time together," he laughed, "and here I thought the two of you were sneaking off to _be alone_,"

Tala whipped her head to look at him, horrified, "_No_!"

Dashi giggled harder, nearly doubling into himself. "Yeah," he admitted, still chuckling, "Guan and I were taking bets to see which one of you were going to announce the engagement first!"

Tala pushed him and Dashi stumbled, bursting out into full laughter.

"I'm sorry," he cried as he sat on the ground, "I'm sorry! It's just too funny!"

"Jerk," growled Tala, bending down beside him, "Are you alright now?"

Dashi recomposed himself and lightly pushed her shoulder. "Yeah," he said, "Are _we_ okay?"

"How can we 'be okay' if we aren't friends?"

Silence filled the space between them, made heavier by the falling snow and bitter air. The two watched the clouds of their breath dance up toward the stars above the koi pond. It was a beautiful night, regardless of how Tala felt. Dashi leaned back onto his hands and Tala joined him, craning her neck to admire the moon.

"Do you want to be friends?" he suddenly asked.

"I don't know if we _can_ be friends," Tala admitted, "I sometimes wonder if I even have any."

"What about Chase?" he suggested, "You care about him at least, right?"

Tala had to think about that. Over the past year, she opened up a little more to him; she had to, really. He was the only person she could actually be around and talk to, but she had to admit it was still very hard to trust him. She certainly _liked_ Chase, but Tala also could not help the feeling that something about their relationship was not quite right. With a sigh, she said, "I don't know."

"When you figure it out," he said, "tell me."

He sounded like Jia; perhaps that was why she was beginning to like him. She shrugged the feeling off and changed the subject, "You aren't going to tell anybody, right?"

Dashi snorted, which Tala took as a yes. He pushed her shoulder again to get her attention. "Hey," he said when Tala looked at him, "You don't have to worry about that, alright? My lips are sealed."

Tala blushed, touched by his kindness. "Thank you," she said, "But why do you want to protect me without wanting anything?"

"Look," said Dashi, "I don't know who told you that people need something in return for your safety, but you're one of us. The Xiaolin Dragons need to look out for each other."

With a wink he added, "Even if none of us are Dragons yet."

Tala's blush deepened. She put both hands on her cheeks, hiding the embarrassment by leaning her elbows into her knees, and let her eyes wander back to the pond.

He was so kind.

"What are you smiling about?" Dashi asked, a grin of his own forming at the corners of his mouth.

Tala covered her mouth quickly. "Nothing," she mumbled behind her fingers.

"You were smiling about something," he teased, "Was it _Chase_?"

Tala whacked him, spitting out a "No!" with a horrified laugh.

"You so were," he insisted, "Oh, _Chase_~"

"Stop it," she cried, laughing with him. She pushed him again and he stumbled over, giggling.

"Chase~" he laughed, imitating her brogue terribly, "I love you, Chase!"

"Shut up!" she giggled, "you are such an idiot."

An idiot that she was beginning to like, no less.

* * *

**AN: And it begins. I can finally get into where I really want to be. We'll be meeting the villain soon~**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

_Six_ Nothing Like Before_

_A flash of green_.

Tala dodged another punch.

_A woman's laugh_.

Tala shook the images off. She ducked low, sweeping her leg out. Guan jumped over it.

'_I'm tired_,' she insisted to herself as she avoided his kick. It was nothing. It had to be nothing.

_A man fell, tripping just behind his fleeing family, only to be crushed by the foot of a rock giant. His wife screamed with terror_.

Tala blocked Guan's other foot as it came up to hit her chin and pushed it away from her, using the gap between them to roll and slide. She swept her other leg up to trip him. '_Focus, Tala_,' she begged, '_They're just dreams_!'

Guan jumped back, avoiding Tala's foot. He crouched into a stance, ready to attack her again.

_The woman was snatched up by the giant, her screams cut short by the merciless crunch of the beast's teeth severing her head. It dropped her body_.

Tala used the momentum of her roll to stand up only to be kicked in the head mid-stance. She was knocked back down to the ground with a sickening crack. Her skull was pounding. She lay there, trying not to panic. All she could hear was buzzing.

Tala sat up, but Guan was gone. The vision had overtaken her. Her head and heart throbbed together as the world around Tala slowed.

_It was Mama standing there. Her back to Tala, looking over a landscape of villages awashed in flames._

"_Mum?" she called, but Tala could not hear her own voice above the buzzing, "Mama?"_

_She struggled to stand, staggering to keep her balance. The blow to Tala's head bit into her with sharp teeth._

_Mama turned, but it wasn't her. Illuminated by the glow of the fire behind, the Mama from Tala's nightmare, her green eyes holding no recognition of her daughter's voice, smiled. Mama's lips curled up past her fangs like a wolf about to devour its prey_. _Tala took a step back, preparing herself to run._

_The buzzing stopped, but a whisper filled her head instead. It was angry, raspy and filled with hatred- a voice unlike any other Tala had ever heard. It curled around her ears and scratched deeply into her chest like poison as it said, 'I am coming for you, Tala.'_

As the vision faded, Tala crumpled to her knees, the world turning black. Before the darkness overtook her, she saw Guan run to catch her, calling her name without sound.

* * *

The silence was deafening. It filled Tala's head with wool and tightened her chest. Warm light spilled past her eyelids, accompanied with the solid and heavy silence. Tala wondered if she would still be trapped in the vision if she opened her eyes.

She took a deep breath, waking up the rest of her body, and faced her fears. There was no vision. Just the wooden ceiling splashed with sunlight. She watched the dust motes dance above her in the light from the window, feeling rather calm in spite of everything else.

"You're awake," said Chase. His voice, though soft from the block in her ears, was easily recognizable.

Tala's head felt heavy and it pulled on her neck painfully when she gingerly turned it to face him. Chase smiled hesitantly, leaning his elbows on her bed. He reached out a hand and felt her forehead with the back of it gently, the hardness of his knuckles just barely touching her skin.

"I suppose I am," whispered Tala, the harshness of her dry throat dulling her voice.

"I'm glad," he said with a nervous laugh, "I was worried there for a second."

"How long was I asleep?" she asked as Chase took his hand away and propped his chin up by his hands.

Chase shrugged. "A couple of hours at best," he told her, "We thought you were okay when you got up, but it looks like Guan kicked you a little harder than we realized. You stood there for a couple of seconds, then you just dropped."

His amber eyes were brightened by the way the sun hit them, reminding Tala of the old tom cat that used to hang around by the kitchens. They watched her with gentleness, the softness of them reminding her of honey.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked.

"I'm just happy that you're alright."

Past him, on the windowsill, was an odd-looking shape. Encased in the shadow of the corner, she saw what looked like a bean standing upright on its own. Tala sat up, nursing the side of her head with her palm. She blinked, clearing her eyes to get a second look, but by then the bean was gone.

"Hey, you're not looking too good," said Chase, putting a hand on Tala's shoulder to keep her steady.

"I am a bit dizzy," she said, reasoning to herself that she really had just imagined the strange little shadow.

Chase placed his other hand on her shoulder, bringing Tala's attention back to his face. His thick eyebrows were knitted, stitched together with the bright thread of concern. "You didn't look so good out in the training sands either," he added, "What was distracting you?"

Tala leaned back, annoyed. "Nothing," she said, but Chase's wide eyes were accusing.

"I know it's not nothing," he told her, "Was it the same thing that's been giving you nightmares?"

"No," she lied.

"And why do you keep having the nightmares, anyway?" he went on, "Why won't you talk about them?"

"Why should I tell _you_?" growled Tala, heat building up in her fingertips. She curled them in tightly, willing it away.

"_Seriously_?" Chase scoffed, "It's not like I'm the one who's woken you up every night for the past two months to keep your magic from throwing things everywhere."

"Look," said Tala, staring down at the blanket now bunched up in her hands, "I can't tell anyone about them. It's about something important that I promised to keep as a secret."

Chase leaned down, placing a heavy and warm hand on her back. "You can tell _me_," he said with a smile, "I've kept everything else a secret so far, haven't I?"

That smile looked a little bit too hopeful for Tala's liking. Besides, she still hadn't forgiven him for falling asleep on her the other night. She narrowed her eyes and flatly said, "No."

Chase's smile dropped like a stone, his own eyes narrowing. In the same tone of voice he said, "Really?"

"I'm not telling you, Chase."

He rolled his eyes with a goofy grin and stood up. He ruffled the top of her head lightly, the curls at the top staying in place thanks to the new extra volume. "Fine," said Chase lightly, "But if you ever feel like telling someone- you know, to help yourself feel better- just give me a heads up, okay? I'm willing to listen."

Sadly, he possibly was the only person that would. But to be honest, Chase would be the last person Tala would ever choose for council. She wished that she could trust him, but just couldn't in spite of all of her best efforts to.

"Get some rest," Chase ordered before stepping out the door. Turning around to point at her, he added, "and no more nightmares, got it?"

Tala rolled her eyes, smiling despite herself, and waved him off. Chase winked and then he was gone, immediately followed up by Guan.

The sheer mass of him filled the doorway as he ducked to walk in, looking rather awkward. Guan stood at the end of the bed, his eyes downcast and his presence distant though he was only standing about three feet away from her.

"Hi," Tala encouraged shyly.

His eyes flicked up to meet hers before looking down at his hands again. "Hi," he grunted.

Guan cleared his throat and fidgeted, unsure about what to do with his hands before resting one on the back of his head as if he had meant to check the quality at the top of his braid. "How are you-," he muttered nervously, "How are you feeling, Tala?"

Tala smiled, feeling bad for him. "I'm well," she said, "I hope you haven't gotten into trouble on account of me. It wasn't your fault, really."

"No," he assured her, "but I do apologize. I knew that you were distracted and followed through with it anyway. I suppose I was still a bit sore from the assessments."

Heat crawled up Tala's neck as she remembered the uppercut she had sent to his jaw. It was a cheap shot that she was not very proud of. "I should be the one apologizing," she admitted.

"I am glad that you are well, then," he said, awkwardly turning to leave.

"Wait,"

Guan turned back, looking mildly surprised.

"I know that you and I aren't friends," she said, "but we should at least not be walking on eggshells with each other like this."

"What do you suggest?"

Tala nodded to the chair and Guan took the invitation to sit. Looking rather uncomfortable, he hunched over in the tiny space, waiting for Tala's answer with patient silence.

"We are paired together often, are we not?" she asked him pensively, regretting her words and wondering if it was too late to back out.

"Yes," he said with a nod, "we are."

Feeling a bit foolish, he said,"Then I think it's best if we try to understand one another."

"You wish for us to know each other better."

Tala nodded, embarrassment slapping her cheeks.

Guan stared at her silently for a moment before saying, "You're right, Tala, we are not friends."

Tala looked at her hands, ashamed to even suggest something so ridiculous to a person whom she had not given so much as a smile to since they met.

"_But_," he added, to which Tala flinched, "I would like to be."

She looked at him, nearly swallowing her tongue. "Truly?"

Guan smiled. "What would you like to know?" he asked.

"Where you are from," admitted Tala shyly, "Chase had told me once that you did not grow up with him here."

"I am from a village in the northern mountains," he said, "We were exiled when the Heylin invaded and took over the high peaks. My family and I traveled three years until we reached the Xiaolin Temple. We were lucky to have escaped with our lives."

There was that word again. Something itched at the back of Tala's brain. It echoed like the soft ringing of a bell, drawing her curiosity, but she pushed it away.

"Why do you wear those beads around your neck?" she asked, ignoring the call in her mind to ask more about these mysterious Heylin.

"My father was a respected holy man from our village and when he died he passed these beads on to me," said Guan, rubbing the chain between his finger and thumb thoughtfully, "I wear them in honor of him. I like to remember where my roots lie."

"Roots are important," agreed Tala. Noticing white markings on some of them, she asked, "What are those symbols on them?"

Guan looped the chain of beads over his head and passed it to her. "They are words," he said, "The characters of life and death; rebirth, endings, and beginnings."

Tala stared at the white characters blankly, running her thumb over the one on the bead in her hand.

"What is the matter?" he asked, leaning closer.

"I cannot read men's words," she admitted, handing the chain back to him, "But they _are_ beautiful."

"I should have known," said Guan softly, "forgive me."

"There is no need to," she dismissed, "I am a girl. Women are not meant to read."

Guan smiled, his smirk thoughtful and playful. Tala narrowed her eyes, wondering what was so funny. Guan chuckled, possibly because of the look on her face.

"What?"

"You are more than a simple girl, Tala," he told her, "You are now a Xiaolin Dragon in training. Your status outweighs your gender."

"That does not change the fact that I cannot read," she pointed out, "I did not suddenly gain the ability through my inheritance."

"Not the ability, no," he admitted, "But the opportunity to. As the first mark of our friendship, allow me to teach you how to read."

"_Me_," she choked, "read?"

"And write," he added with a smile, "As a Xiaolin Dragon, you should be versed in all enlightened things, whether your beginnings are humble or not."

"I suppose you'll teach me how to dance, too," she said, "Or perhaps to play the ruan."

"We shall see about the reading and writing first," he joked, "Master Young always told us to sharpen our mind and our spirit as well as our bodies. It is important for us as the protectors of the world to have a full mastery of the three."

Tala slapped one hand over the other quickly, panicking when heat burned them. Of course Master Young did not tell her this! She wrung her hands, trying to calm herself down, but she was too angry. Her nails bit into her skin as she fought for control against her magic.

"Tala," said Guan, "Are you alright?"

Tala tensed and looked at him, digging her nails in harder as her hands burned like the crackling heat of a fire. "Yes," she lied with a strangling squeak, "I'm just overwhelmed, is all."

"Don't worry," he assured her, taking Tala's hands gently. Tala took a calming breath, willing herself to calm down. She was lucky that the fire in her hands obeyed this time, "we will just have to be patient with ourselves."

* * *

Tala spent three months under Guan's tutelage. Though the progress came along slowly, she felt a little more than optimistic about her improvement. To be honest, her ability to read was subpar at best and her writing skills were horrendous, but at least she now could decipher the differences between more than four characters.

Guan was a patient and wonderful teacher, encouraging Tala when she became frustrated and threatened giving up. For the first time since coming to the Temple, Tala felt like she could truly trust someone. There was something about this boy that calmed her down, that made her feel safe.

He was not playful like Dashi, nor flashy like Chase, but something more mature. It gave Tala a sense of peace. He had a quiet strength to him like Mama, but his size reminded her of Papa. He made Tala think of home and it encouraged her to keep pushing forward.

"Can you read this for me?" asked Guan, pointing to the stream of characters running down the scroll's paper.

Tala furrowed her brows, struggling to keep her voice in the right set of tones, "In the...eighth...century, troops from the-"

With a frustrated growl she leaned back, closing her eyes. Tala breathed in a heavy breath slowly through her mouth and out of her nose.

"You are doing well, Tala," encouraged Guan, "Do not give up yet."

He pointed to another row that was shorter than the last and offered, "Try this one."

"The troops were..hosts of a _dinner_ _party_?"

Guan chuckled. "Given wishes of fortune," he corrected, "The symbols at the end are different, see? You had _Qing_ right, but you read the next symbol as _Ke_, an invitation to guests. The true symbol is _An_, good health."

Tala sighed, "I am never going to learn the differences between all of these characters, am I?"

"We have spent only a few months on this, Tala," he reminded her, "Never say never. You are progressing very well,"

"For a girl?" she asked flatly.

"For someone who has had no prior experiences with reading or writing in her family," he assured gently.

Tala sighed again, the end of it laced with a yawn. Learning was much more tiring for her than she thought.

"We can rest for awhile," Guan suggested brightly, "There is nothing more refreshing than conversation and tea."

He reached out behind him and plucked the tea tray from the sun table beside the window with a grin.

Tala smiled. She could hardly disagree with him. She liked the conversations they had together. Guan was more open to listening to her than Chase ever was. Where speaking with Chase was always a one-sided conversation, speaking with Guan was a mutual exchange of words and ideas. She admired his quiet nature for that.

"I actually have a confession to make," said Guan as he poured the tea for them both, "I never quite understood you."

"In what way?" she asked, receiving her cup from him with both hands.

"Chase has had a strange interest in you from the start," he said, "though it is hard to discern the reason. By all standards, you were just a little girl who worked in the kitchens. There was absolutely nothing special about you. But, I always caught him sneaking off after practice or staring off and sitting out of the conversation at mealtimes. One day my curiosity got the better of me and I realized that he was not staring off. He was looking at you. You, the _tiniest_ thing in the room peaked his interest and I could not fathom the idea why."

* * *

No, Guan knew why. He was just covering his tracks. Why in the world had he thought to bring it up? The slip of his tongue had him grasping for lies instead of truth, but judging by the dull look of grey confusion in Tala's eyes, the embarrassed heat in his neck had not given him away.

Tala looked away from him, her eyes downcast and distant. He noticed her clenching her hands like she always did with the yellow cloth of her robes crumpled between her fingers.

"I know why," she whispered. Guilt crept around her tiny voice and Guan instantly felt guilty himself for bringing up Chase's feelings for her. Perhaps it was best to leave this well enough alone.

Damn his curiosity.

"You do?" he asked, swallowing the sandpaper down with tea.

"I'm not really supposed to tell you," she stammered, clenching her fists more tightly, "Besides, there is nothing really to say. He's just… forceful."

Guan nearly choked, "_Excuse_ me?"

"What?" Tala perked up, flustered. Guan could barely understand her thick, mumbling voice as she struggled with it, "Oh, _no_, I didn't- I, uh, he just,"

Tala sighed deeply, as if rumbling the very deep of her core, and composed herself. Her accent still hung like a heavy cloak, but she spoke more clearly, "Chase is a good boy," she insisted, "But in the end, he's always sure to get what he wants. He just would not leave me alone. Day in and day out he would come to the kitchens, handing me his ripped clothes and carrying on conversation. He just would not _shut up_, so I had to give in and become his friend."

"His..._friend_," echoed Guan, his heartbeat slowly returning to normal. Thank goodness; he was about to have the need to speak a few words to that idiot.

"Yes," she said, "I'm sorry if I caused you to misinterpret,"

"Oh, no, no, please," Guan assured, embarrassed for her, "It was a misunderstanding."

He decided to choose a different approach. Clearing his throat he asked, "But, while we are on the subject- if you do not mind my asking- do you feel mutually about him? As a _friend_, of course?"

Tala rolled her eyes. "Yes, obviously," she snorted, "but it is easy to admit that Chase has his faults too. He is picky and spoiled and insists on _always_ having his way. Hardly someone I would voluntarily choose to be the companion of…. Not that I had a choice then."

She played with one of her braids shyly. "I suppose," Tala admitted with a warm glow adding itself to her dark cheeks, "that I could thank that annoying persistence of his for all of this. I'd still be sleeping in the kitchens if it weren't for Chase visiting me every day."

Guan smiled. At least that was something.

"How did you and Chase become friends?" she asked, "Are the two of you close?"

"The best of," he confirmed with a proud smile, "I admit that we did not really get along until after my father's death. He reached out a hand in comfort when I had no one else left in the world."

Tala looked away and he studied the contemplative look on her face with a swell of happiness.

"You see, Tala," he continued, "Chase's personality may seem overbearing at first, but he does have a good heart. He means well, truly."

"I don't doubt it," she said quickly, "but sometimes I feel that everything he says is some sort of trick in order to get the things he wants out of people."

Tala shut her mouth quickly, tensing. Obviously, she hadn't meant to say that aloud.

He was afraid if this.

"I've often felt the same," Guan admitted.

Guan sighed and scratched the stubble above his braid. "But that was because we had only just met and I did not know him well enough," he added, "Chase is the type of person to use his charisma to charm people, but he does not intend to hurt anyone with it. He has always just been aware of the effect he has on others and has learned to adapt to it in his own way, I suppose."

Tala's shoulders relaxed, but Guan could see her throat bob. Her cheeks glowed again and her eyes, wide and bright though they were, cast themselves to the floor.

"So," she squeaked, "How did you meet Dashi?"

"Just as you did," he answered, "I was chosen as the next Earth Dragon and began training alongside him and Chase. Though I was a little more than offset by Chase's forwardness and arrogance, I found that it was even more difficult warming up to Dashi. He was friendly, and calmer than Chase was, but there was a sadness to him. It was as if he were distancing himself from us. Much the same as what I've seen in _you_, actually."

Tala tensed again. "I'm sorry," she told him, her shoulders slumping submissively.

"Why are you sorry?" he laughed. Silly girl was as nervous as a hen.

"I do not mean to be so cold," she admitted sadly.

"I know that you do not," he answered, "but I also know that whatever it is that you are keeping hidden is not worth being alone for. Whatever burdens you are holding on to will become a lot lighter when you let others share the weight with you."

Tala seemed to shrink into herself. She wrung the cloth in her hands again, biting her lower lip. He hoped that she would say something, but instead they sat in uncomfortable silence for a while.

Guan drank from his tea, watching her. It had grown cold and his tongue stuck itself to the roof of his mouth from the bitterness of it.

"I have a confession to make," whispered Tala.

Guan was silent, encouraging her with a nod.

Tala breathed in deep and released it with a sigh. Upon the edge of that sigh was the smallest of murmurs; "I think I love him."

Guan hardly registered what she meant. The corners of his mouth turned up in his confusion. "What?" he asked hesitantly.

"Dashi," she said, meeting his eyes with silver finality, "I think that I may be in love with him."

Guan tried to swallow, but found that he could not choke back the surprise and disappointment plaguing the ball in his throat. "That's surprising," he said with a leveled voice. Taking another sip of his cold tea he added, "What's brought this on? You've hardly talked to me about him."

"Well, I-" Tala stammered, the resolve in her eyes waning and giving way to the embarrassed flush in her cheeks, "I know it sounds strange. _I'm_ the first to say it, but… Guan, he...There's something _about_ him that….he's _kind_ and…._unboastful_...and he…"

Guan could not fight his impatience. He gave in; "And what about Chase?" he asked, choking down another dreadful sip, "You've known him longer than either of us. Surely you would be more likely to attach yourself to _him_ instead."

Tala's embarrassment melted into annoyance. "You admitted yourself that he is hard to trust," she clipped, "Chase may be my closest friend, but I can't help the feeling that he has some sort of ulterior motive for everything that he does. I cannot tell if he is _ever_ speaking the truth."

"Has Chase ever lied to you?" asked Guan, feeling annoyed himself.

"No," she admitted, "Not really."

"Then what has led you to believe that he ever has?" he persisted, "What makes you think that he is not telling you the truth?"

"It is just a feeling," she snapped, "It is as if every word he speaks has a double meaning attached to it and the thought frightens me. I simply cannot trust him Guan! Believe me, I've tried!"

"You claim that Chase is your closest friend," he said, "and yet you feel more drawn to a boy you hardly know. Tala, I hardly think that you have thought any of this through. Logically, if anything, you simply have a high adoration for Dashi. It is not love. It cannot be love."

"I know it sounds foolish," she argued, "but when I am around Chase I feel smothered. And even when I am around you, despite your kindness and willingness to listen to my thoughts, I feel as though I am not truly your equal."

Guan felt a little hurt by that, but remained silent and let her go on.

"But being around Dashi is different from that," she said, "He does not force his friendship like Chase does. And, though I respect your opinions very much, he also does not talk down to me as you sometimes do. He is lively and gentle and even if these feelings I have for him are not really love, then at least I can say that I admire his kindness. The way I feel around him is separate from everyone else and it is something that I cannot explain."

"That does not mean that you are in love with him, Tala," reasoned Guan, "You are becoming a woman, but your mind is still that of a child's. It is a dangerous mixture. You cannot explain your feelings because you have yet to understand them."

Tala narrowed her eyes. "I am not an idiot, Guan," she told him flatly.

Guan rolled his eyes, frustrated. _Girls_.

"My point is," he said, "that you do not _know_ Dashi. You have deceived yourself into believing that your feelings of admiration are feelings of adoration. "

"You may be right," she said, "But that does not change how I feel, only what that feeling may be."

"I know," he answered.

They sat again in silence and Guan festered in aggravation. He saw that Tala too had a stubborn glare on her face, her frown puckered by the sourness of the cold tea she was sipping. She unsuccessfully tried to hide her displeasure of it. Her eyes winced before she put her cup back down.

"You never truly answered my question about Chase," said Guan quietly.

"_What _question?" hissed Tala through her teeth.

"How has Chase not told you the truth?"

"I already gave you the answer," she snapped, "It is a feeling I have that-"

"A feeling is not an answer," he interjected, "If you wish for me to think of you as an adult then act like one."

"What is your _problem_?"

"You are complaining like a child," he told her, fighting to keep his voice leveled, "Give me a solid answer if you want me to take you seriously."

Tala glared at him, snapping her mouth shut. She clenched her jaw and balled her fists, staring at him with such an intense glower that her grey eyes looked almost white from the glint of bitterness in them.

"You have nothing to say," he challenged.

He watched her throat bob, but she did not answer.

"Look," he said, "I am not saying that your feelings are invalid, but a 'feeling' is not a firm fact. They are as fickle as the wind and do not stay in one place for very long. Many run under a falsely perceived notion, such as is the possibility of you being unable to trust Chase for whatever reason you are refusing to tell me. "

He stood and Tala's gaze dropped to the floor, though the hatred in her eyes did not falter. She looked as though she was practically shaking from anger, but he had one other thing to say.

"I have said so myself that I am also guilty of it," he assured her as his anger faded and guilt for making Tala upset began to settle in, "_I_ of all people would know what this feels like."

She still said nothing, but shifted uncomfortably, clenching her fists until her brown knuckles turned yellow.

"Do yourself a favor and give him a chance," Guan insisted, "Put whatever caused you to mistrust him aside for a moment. Look at him for who he _really_ is and you will see that Chase is a trustworthy friend after all."

* * *

Two days passed while Tala chewed over what Guan had told her. She was still sullen about it and was even more sour that she had to admit the truth in what he had said. Even still, he had a point. She needed to give Chase a chance to prove that he indeed _was_ trustworthy if only to put her unease at rest. She had _just _the idea...

"Chase," Tala called when she spotted him by the koi pond.

Chase smiled when she joined him and plopped herself down on the dried, brown grass. She could see his breath when he asked, "What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Well," she said, "you know how you've always asked to watch me practice my magic?"

"And how you've always said no?" he added playfully, "Yes, I remember."

"I want to practice tonight," said Tala with a smile, though her insides were twisting. Her instincts were screaming at her to stop so fiercely that her throat closed in on her voice.

"You want to practice _every_ night, Tala," said Chase, "What's your point?"

She answered flatly, "I'm inviting you to join me."

"Right," Chase snorted, "and I'll just hide behind the wall like I always do to keep watch so that nobody else finds out."

"You're really that dense, aren't you," she accused snidely, "I want you to be a part of it tonight."

"Wait," said Chase, doubletaking in shock, "_Seriously_?"

A smile spread slowly across his face as Tala answered. "Well, you _have_ told me from the beginning that you want to learn more about magic, so I figured that you'd might learn even better if you...Stop smiling like that."

She flicked the side of his mouth and Chase dropped the grin into a frown while he rubbed at the spot she had made sore.

"This is _only _for tonight," Tala warned him sternly, "got it?"

"Yes," he chirped quickly, "I _completely_ understand! Don't you worry about a thing! I will not push anything unless you are willing to let me in on more sessions after this, I _swear_."

Tala had to admit that she felt happy for him. Chase was finally going to get his wish after a year of sticking close beside her, and yet she could not shake the feeling that something was wrong.

* * *

Chase could not help the smile on his face. Night had fallen and he was making his way to the meeting place. Tala was already there, he knew, and if he set his tiles right, she would be eating out of his hand in no time. He just needed to convince her that he was willing enough and trustworthy enough to learn her secrets.

Not that it would be hard. She was a smart girl, but not completely invulnerable. Beneath that hard shell was a bundle of nervous energy. Chase just needed to find a way to work that to his advantage.

He had felt it before; very painfully at that. It was the reason why Tala had not let him get too close. Even under her guise of friendship, Chase could see that Tala was keeping him at arms-length. He could hardly blame her. She obviously did not trust him.

That didn't matter much. The point _was_ that he had invested far too much time into this relationship to just leave it alone. All he needed to do was play along tonight, be a good boy, and soon-very, _very _soon- he would know everything he would ever _need _to know about Tala and her magic.

Chase leaned against the edge of the wall, smiling in on the tiny courtyard where Tala was meditating. She always did that before telling him to turn around and keep watch so that she would be able to practice in peace. Tonight, however, he wouldn't have to.

Pushing himself up, Chase decided to let his presence be known before he could accidentally startle her. There was no room for mistakes tonight.

"Glad to see you've gotten the party started without me," he joked lightly.

Tala turned around and smiled, making the half-moon shape of her eyes crinkle into crescents. She practically bounced up to her feet as he walked down to meet her beneath the willow tree.

"Are you ready to get started, then?" she asked in that strange little accent of hers. It made him think of wind chimes this time, hanging on the edge of her voice like the cloak that was wrapped loosely around her shoulders; soft and elegant.

"I'm ready when you are," Chase answered, "Grand Master Wei's eunuch is keeping guard for us. I _kind _of told him that you wanted to try something different tonight."

"Let's hope that he does not expect much, then," she said, no longer smiling.

"Was that not okay?"

"I'm not even sure if I can really do many tricks myself," answered Tala, folding her arms, "let alone teach _you_ anything."

He highly doubted that. Chase knew exactly what Tala was capable of. This fake modesty of hers was not doing the girl any favors. It only made him more curious.

"Hey," he assured her, "you got this. Just show me some of the stuff you already know pretty well, okay?"

Now to turn on the charm.

He pretended to pluck a leaf from Tala's hair just near her shoulder. "You have your hair down tonight," he observed, though he'd already noticed it the minute he had seen her, "I like it. Reminds me of the night we met, actually. Very pretty."

The look on Tala's frozen face was hilarious. She was stuck in time for a couple of seconds before tucking the strands he had touched behind her ear. "I normally wear my hair down when I practice," she snipped, bringing out the rice mouth in full force, "...Not that you'd know, since I've never allowed you to actually watch me."

She turned away from him. How cute, she was embarrassed. Chase knew it was rude to snort, but he didn't care. This was amusing. Just as he'd thought; she'd be eating out of his hand in no time.

He shoved his hands into his coat pockets and walked to her side, leaning over to get as close to her face as possible.

"It's better than those dumb pigtails you wear all of the time now, anyway," he said, "I'm surprised those braids even stay in place with your curls like that. How do you even manage?"

"Are we going to discuss my hair or are we going to practice magic?" she snapped, turning her head away again.

This was too fun for his own good. Tala was much more reluctant than the other girls, which was new. She was quite possibly the first girl to actually _want_ to get away from his face. Her anger just made it all the more hilarious.

"Are you _blushing_?" he persisted with a laugh, "You are! You are _so_ blushing!"

"Shut up," she said, whirling around and slapping his shoulder, "Stop leaning so close to me."

"Aw, poor baby," he said, "Does somebody have a crush?"

Flatly, she answered "No," and then pushed past him to stand directly under the willow tree.

"I don't blame you," he said, unable to help himself. This was far, _far_ too fun, "I'm pretty popular. It's not uncommon for young girls like you to fall for a clever and dashing Wudai warrior like myself."

Tala turned to face him, looking far less than amused. "Are you done _squawking_ like a big old rooster," she asked, or so he _thought_ she asked. He honestly could barely understand her by this point, "or are we actually going to be doing anything tonight? Because if all you want to do is _joke around_, then I'll-"

"Alright, alright," he soothed. So much for his charms, "calm down. I'm done. I just wanted to loosen you up a little, that's all. Looks like I all I did was just wind you up _tighter_."

Tala rolled her eyes. She was such a funny girl, really. One minute she was sweet and cute then the next she would be sour and bratty at the snap of a finger. He was a bit amazed by how quickly she could change.

"Let's get started then," she said, her accent clearing back into something much more discernible. She pointed to one of the tree's raised roots and said, "_Sit._"

Chase obeyed quickly, knowing that it would be much easier for him not to anger her further. Plan One worked. He'd tested her out to see just exactly where her fuse ended and what he could get away with. He had suspected it to be short by her outbursts before, but _wow_. Now was time for Plan Two; wait and observe.

"The first thing that I am going to do," she explained, "is focus myself by centering my magic into my core. I do this through meditation. I feel heat in my hands first, but I will _know_ that I am centered when I can feel it in my stomach as well."

She sat down and began to meditate, straightening her back and holding her fists together at their knuckles. Several minutes passed by in silence until Tala opened her eyes again. She stood up, staring down at him with a blank stare. Her silver eyes seemed brighter than before and stared through him as if he were the wind itself.

"That's _it_?" he scoffed, "No calling of spirits, no raising the dead? You just meditate?"

"Yes," she said contently, "besides, I'm not a witch. I am not casting any _curses_."

"The Elders would beg to differ," he mumbled in reply.

"Because of my nightmares I still have trouble keeping my emotions in check," she told him. It was Chase who rolled his eyes this time. _Yes_, he knew.

" need to meditate in order to have a better control over myself," Tala explained.

"I hope the rest of the night is not as boring as this," Chase joked, in spite of actually feeling this way, "I did not come here just to freeze my butt off and watch you sit in the snow."

"Oh don't worry," Tala assured him lightly, scampering past him with a skip, "I am only just getting started."

Oh _goodie_.

Chase watched her kneel down and dig her hands into the snow. He winced, feeling his own fingers growing numb in his pockets.

"What are you doing now?" he called, watching her make three rather large snowballs and place them beside each other, one by one.

Tala looked back at him with a playful shrug and a smile. "I thought it would be fun to show you how I have improved since you've seen me do magic last," she answered and scooped the three balls into her arms. They were large enough for her face to be blocked by them as she waddled back, careful not to drop them.

She placed the snowballs down gently and took a step back. "Watch," she told him.

Tala stretched out her hands over the three snowballs. They instantly shot up into the air, hovering just beneath her palms. They bobbed as she held them there, her face rigid from concentration.

They sprang forth suddenly, rushing up into the bare branches of the willow, dancing with one another. Tala was the puppeteer, twirling beneath them with her arms fanned out like a bird. She slowed and the earth seemed to still itself right along with her. The snowballs drifted to the ground like feathers, slowly falling.

Chase held his hands out as one of them made its way to his lap. It was no longer a white ball of snow, but one made out of pure ice. It was so fine and clear that he could see Tala smiling at him through it when he held it to his face and inspected it. He put the ball of ice down beside him, his eyes now focused entirely on her.

Something was different then, as their eyes met. She wasn't the same child he had met in this courtyard a year ago. She was no longer timid or closed off, afraid to let any light in. She was now self aware and unafraid to face what her unknown magic could do. The dull grey of her tired eyes had given way to something brighter and happier. Their shine could rival even the stars. He was in awe of them and how they gave Tala's very presence vibrancy.

She did not just have power now. She had life.

He wanted it.

"You really have changed," he said.

"I've only really just perfected that," she said, walking over and picking the ice ball up. She sat down beside him, twirling it between her two middle fingers. It spun with a lazy half turn before dropping back down to its original place. Tala kept playing with it, watching the ball swing then fall back after coming so close to spinning fully.

Though she was an amusing sight, he asked "What else can you do?"

Tala put the ice ball back into his lap and looked at him, the corners of her mouth turning crooked with a smirk. "I had a feeling you would ask that," she answered, "Let me borrow you for a minute."

Tala stood up and began to clamber over his shoulders. Chase began laughing until she painfully stepped on the back of his neck. "Watch the hair, will ya," he grunted, "There are some girls who actually _do _like me for my looks."

"That's because they don't know your personality," she snipped, now standing up on his shoulders.

Chase mimicked her under his breath snidely, though he had to admit that it was a good comeback. Tala stepped on his head, apparently trying to reach higher. Aggravated, he cried "Ow, seriously! What are you doing?"

"Calm down, you big baby," she snapped before jumping down behind him, "I needed a stick and the branches were too high for me."

Chase rubbed the sore spot on the back of his head. "And you _couldn't_ just find one on the ground?"

Tala looked at the broken half of the branch in her hand with the smallest trace of regret and confusion; "Oh… right,"

"You didn't think this through, did you?" he asked, smiling in spite of the annoyance still creeping up his neck.

"Actually, I have," she said, "The fine details, though, not so much."

"Lovely,"

Tala took a deep breath and held the stick out in front of her, pointed towards him. With a sly smile on her face, she asked "Are you ready, Chase Young?"

Chase suppressed a yawn. "For what?"

"_This_!" she shouted. The stick immediately raced toward him, fast as a thrown dagger.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he cried, ducking. Chase expected full well for the stick to fly right over his head, but it didn't. Chase looked up to see that stupid sick just inches from his nose, the broken and jagged end of it no less. Was she _trying _to kill him?

"Pretty neat, huh?" asked Tala, her arm still outstretched, "I have enough mastery over my push now to make the objects I choose to do whatever I want. I am in _complete_ control."

"I've noticed," he answered flatly.

"A year ago that would have killed you," she added with a shrug, "Probably."

"I get your point," he said, "You can put the stick down now."

Tala rolled her eyes and swung her arm, causing the stick to hurtle toward the wall. It splintered against the stone and shattered into tiny peices, scattering over the snow.

"Impressive," said Chase with an appreciative smirk. Indeed, her tricks _were_ impressive, but he knew that Tala still had something to hide. He could feel it; there had to be more.

"Anything _else_," he said, "oh _mighty_ master of witchcraft?"

"Oi," she said, her hands on her hips, "_You_ were the one who wanted to 'learn my secrets,' weren't you? Why are you rushing this?"

"Because it's _boring_," he lied, "I've seen you do this before; on _me_, remember? Try showing me something I _haven't_ seen."

Tala dropped her arms to her side. Her face was open and sad, hurt even. "That's all I have," she told him quietly, "I've been practicing that so I wouldn't hurt you when it came time for me to let everyone know that I _have_ magic."

For him? Really? Did Tala honestly think he was that fragile?

"Well, it's good progress at least," Chase told her with a shrug and a sigh.

Fabulous. Studying her push magic would only get him so far. Not that it wasn't interesting or even that it was not worth studying, but the problem was that there was no way he would have been able to apply it to himself without first awakening his own Dragon magic. He needed something that had to do with the _elements_, not object manipulation- at least not yet.

_Unless_.

"I have an idea," he said, rising to his feet.

Tala looked rather suspicious of him. Folding her arms, she asked "_Do_ you?"

"I know how you can explore more of your push magic," he said with a smile, "and improve your fighting skills at the same time."

Tala arched an eyebrow, but other than that she looked highly unconvinced. "I'm listening,"

"I can teach you a few moves," said Chase simply, "and all you'd really have to do is apply your magic to them."

"Sounds simple enough," she said, seemingly impassive. At first Chase thought she wouldn't go for it, but then she smiled, "I'm in."

"Copy what I do," Chase told her. He formed a circle with his arms with the palms of his hands facing each other.

Tala followed, awkwardly mirroring him with the opposite position of her arms. Chase waited with a sigh, hoping that his less than subtle cue was more telling that she was wrong than the feeling that should have been in her arms from the strange position, which she apparently could not feel. Realizing her mistake with a mumbled apology, she quickly switched them to the more natural position.

"Okay," he said, loosening his legs, "relax your knees."

Once she did as he had instructed, he stepped his left leg to the side and shifted his weight, rolling the ball slowly. He paused to watch her attempt, staying in his own position.

She copied him elegantly. Surprising, since Tala was probably the least coordinated warrior he had ever seen. Her eyes were on him, focused and serious. The silver of them looked brighter from her determination.

Keeping eye contact, and being sure not to move the new position of his hands, he shifted his body again, letting the ball follow it. Tala followed, but this was where the smoothness of her mirroring ended. She turned her hands too early and dropped the invisible ball in her confusion.

Chase brought himself out of the stance, aligning himself with the flattening of his down-faced palms that reseted at his center, before walking over to join Tala. He gently took one of her wrists and stood behind her.

"What are you doing?" she asked. Chase could feel the air between them still as her back stiffened.

"It's okay," he soothed, though annoyed by her blatant distrust of him, "just relax. I'm going to show you something. You're way too stiff in the shift of the stance and it's pushing you out of focus and off balance."

"Oh," she squeaked, letting him move her as he wrapped his arm around and took her other wrist.

"Let your knees be loose," he reminded her, "Don't lock them. That's what will help you with a smoother transition."

"Okay," she said, turning her wrists loosely cupped him his hands to face one another. He could tell that she did not like being his puppet, but he could hardly say that she had the choice right now.

He mirrored her leg positioning and slowly helped her to form the ball again. "Now remember what I showed you," he said quietly, "Roll the ball over slowly.

Gently, he guided her through the motion, simply keeping Tala on track and letting her do the rest.

"That's it," he encouraged, "Now hold form and follow through."

Tala did as she was told, letting Chase keep her arms aligned until Tala finished the reposition of the circle. Tala looked back at him and smiled that funny grin of hers, giggling and proud of herself. He smiled, feeling her contagious happiness.

He let go and she finished the move, repeating the first step to rest back on the weight of the leg she started from. Chase stepped back to give her space as she realigned herself with a slow breath.

She turned to face him. "Thank you," she said, "I suppose I'm not that good of a visual learner."

"I've noticed," he teased. It was strange, but something in him seemed to shift when he watched her smile drop. He wanted to take those words back, which was a rare thought to ever cross his mind. His heart skipped from it. He did not know if this feeling was quite embarrassment, but he stuttered from it anyway as he lost face for that small moment, "you're welcome."

He cleared his throat, composing himself smoothly with a fold of his arms and a grin. "Are you ready to try it on your own again?"

"I can try," offered Tala with an unsure shrug.

Chase gave her the go ahead with a flick of his hand and a smile. Tala began the exercise, fluidly going through the motions. She wasn't perfect, still stiff in her back and legs a bit, but it would do for now.

"Try it again," he instructed when she came to rest, "but this time, add your magic to it."

Tala looked back at him again, worried. "Are you sure?" she asked with a slight whine.

Chase rolled his eyes. "We won't be able to see what you can do unless you expand your skills, right?" he asked, "Do you want to control your magic better or not?"

Tala did not say anything, but turned away again. Her back was visibly tense, risen up with her shoulders and rigid arms.

"_Relax_," Chase warned with an annoyed drawl, "Don't get stiff. Make sure that you breathe normally. You'll be okay. I'm right here behind you."

Tala took a deep breath and dropped her shoulders, loosening her back. She began the exercise again. As she formed the circle with her hands, Chase could feel a pull. It was as if the wind were blowing at his back, but no breeze touched him.

Chase looked at Tala, something warm within him stirring. He could _feel_ her magic. It was calling to him. He watched with anticipation and awe as she went through with the position. The air around her was still. Tala was in an invisible bubble that he could not touch and the wall of it solidified with every move she made.

"Chase?" she called, sounding unsure and very frightened. She did not turn around, her voice sounding on the verge of panic.

"It's okay, Tala," he said, unable to contain the emotion that bubbled up from his chest and spread across his face with an overwhelming smile, "I'm right here. Keep going."

But the moment those words left his mouth, energy shot forth, invisible and terrifying. It blasted the wall, hitting the crack dead-center. Tala was blasted backward and into him. Both fell onto the ground and instinctively, Chase wrapped his arms around Tala, guarding her head.

"Are you alright?!" shouted a voice from behind the wall.

It was the eunuch, all limbs and nerves, heaving and puffing from rushing to their aid. He shook visibly from his scare but was more-or-less alright. He offered his bony hand to Tala, who took it and allowed him to help her stand.

Chase pushed himself up from the ground. "Tala!" he panicked. He took Tala's face into his hands, shuddering from the scare, "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay," she insisted, though she was crying, "I'm okay!"

Brushing some of the hair away from her warm cheeks, he studied her face, scanning every detail for signs of injury. She was shaking too, and despite a few terrified tears, Tala did not look any more worse for wear than he did. Chase nearly threw up from relief and bent from the weakening in his knees, letting his hands drop to her shoulders.

"Are _you_ okay?" she asked, though her words were hardly recognizable.

He wanted to laugh. Here he was putting Tala in danger and _she_ was worried about _him_. He began chuckling as tears came to his eyes too.

He didn't care that the eunuch could see. He burst out laughing, tears streaming down his face, and he wrapped Tala into a hug, burying his face into her hair. He could not admit just how terrified he was of her being hurt, but at least he could laugh at his stupidity and relief.

"You crazy little witch," he mumbled, holding her tightly, "You scared me half to death."

"It was your suggestion," she answered, hugging him back. He could feel her arms shaking against him, a sigh from her releasing a violent shudder.

"You are such a brat," he said back, thankful that Tala could still be sarcastic, "Don't scare me like that anymore, okay?"

"Um," said the eunuch with a squeak, "Honored Apprentices?"

They broke away to look at him.

The eunuch's face was pale and he shook with such violence that he hardly looked capable of standing upright on his own, rocking back on his heels. He pointed one of his twig-like fingers toward the wall in front of them. Tala and Chase followed to where it pointed.

The wall's crack was split wide open. Some of the still loose rubble around the crack fell with a wet thud onto the snow. His heart began to pound. So, _this_ is what magic could do when it was properly controlled. He was one step closer to understanding it.

"We must go, honored ones," insisted the eunuch with a nervous twitter, "There will be no way to explain the noise of the wall falling without blackening the trainee's name if we stay here."

Tala let go of him and followed the eunuch as he scurried back toward the open gate.

"Hurry," he insisted, "we must go and inform Grand Master Wei of this. He will want to hear the news."

"What news?" Chase heard Tala ask as they got farther away from him.

His eyes were transfixed on the wall, mesmerized by the sheer force of power behind the blast to have fissured it so. He could still hear their voices, but they were muffled, muted by his lack of attention.

That power had nearly killed them. It was so frightening, horribly terrifying, yet absolutely beautiful. Though he had a near brush of death, Chase was hardly deterred. No, it made him crave her magic more. He needed to harness that power for himself.

"Chase,"

The light touch of Tala's hand on his shoulder startled him and he whirled on her with a guilty gasp. Her eyes, wide and bright, held confusion and uncertainty. "We...have to go," she told him, "Are you sure that you are alright?"

It was in the moment that she had fallen, thrown back by her own magic, that Chase realized what he had truly felt. He was horrified at the thought of losing Tala, of seeing her in pain. This girl, once a means to an end in his plans for obtaining the power he deserved, had wrapped herself around his heart.

He did not just need Tala's magic to complete him.

He needed her.

* * *

**AN: Well,** _**look**_ **at that. I hate them all so much.**

**And, **_**now**_ **we're getting into Tala's crush territory and I'm really going to be hating all four of them for a while. Hopefully doing their actual job will distract from that... probably. I hate this part, but hopefully you won't.**

**I promise, the romance will not be **_**too**_ **distracting. It's just a necessary part of the plot. It's just something I have to do to set up some later things. I myself do not much like romance, but I'll try my best to not have that biased hatred show through my writing.**

**Have a great night!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

_Seven_ Blood Bond_

The hills were green, just like her eyes.

Tala was looking at Mama, whose smile perked up her cheeks and crinkled the black markings, folding them like paper. With a strange hiss in her voice, she asked "Are you ready for some _fun_?"

Tala spoke, but the voice was not her own. It was deeper, older and spiced with excitement, "It's time to give what's due,"

Tala sounded like her Mama, the one she remembered; a smooth voice that was filled with kindness. However, the voice that spoke from Tala's mouth held not a drop of it, as if she had never known that such a word existed.

Tala scanned the army standing before them in countless numbers. Each and every footsoldier held his breath and shook in his armor at the sight of them. It made Tala feel powerful. Not one would _dare_ try to harm her or her mother, not here. Tala had them at her mercy with a single stare. She smiled.

"Witches," called one of the men at the helm. There were four, each dressed in the colors of yellow, blue, black and orange. She knew who they were. There was no need for introductions. The one who had spoken out, the one in blue, was staring directly at her when he yelled, "Today is the day that your tyranny ends!"

Tyranny? Ha! Says the 'mighty' Xiaolin Dragons! Such hypocrites!

Tala hated him, she hated _them,_ with all she was. Her hands burned with the ache to kill.

Mama took her hand. Startled by the sudden touch, Tala looked at her.

"Together?" asked Mama. Her genuine smile was twisted and wrong, made grotesque by the venomous light in her eyes. Murder was written within them.

"Together," said Tala.

She turned to the Dragons, and stared right back at the Fire Dragon, matching his glower with a challenging laugh.

"Our tyranny?" she asked, "But, my dear Shoku, what of yours?"

"You have terrorized our people for far too long," he shouted, "It is time for you and your sister to pay for the crimes that you have committed against all of China!"

"Shi-Ahn," said Mama quietly into Tala's ear, "We have all four of them here. Now is our chance."

"Patience, my sister," answered Tala, her eyes still upon the Shoku, "They will get what they deserve today, I promise."

'_Shi-Ahn_,' Tala registered slowly. That was Mama's name. This dream, she realized hollowly, did not belong to her.

The Shoku stepped forward, raring for a fight. The other three Dragons followed, stepping away from the army's front line and into the middle of the field. The wind blew at their backs and Tala could smell the fear of those weak and cowardly men standing with their flags, swords, and spears. It excited her.

The Dragons, however, were calm. The Shoku especially held his resolve with overbearing confidence. From this distance she could see his face. It was grim, but Tala could smell the near taste of his arrogance. It was a heavy perfume that sickened her, sucking the fun out of watching his so called soldiers squirm.

Other than that, there was nothing really worth noting. Seeing through Mama's eyes, all of the humans looked the same to Tala. Weak and miserable. If the Dragons were not wearing their respective colors, she would not have known one from the other, even if the Shoku's smell had not already given him away.

"Wuya," said Tala, squeezing Wuya's hand, "Prepare yourself. We will have to be quick for this to work."

Wuya smiled and squeezed back before releasing her hand and stepping in front of Tala to address the four Dragons, her voice rasping with anger, "Today is the day that _your _tyranny will end," she warned them, "No more will you hunt us down!"

"We have heaven on our side," said the Shoku, "The power of hope within us will never be defeated by the darkness inside of your guideless hearts."

"Please," said Tala, "_We_ have the blood of our sisters on our side. And that is all we need, dear Shoku, to destroy your Cycle and your _precious_ Xiaolin Temple."

She thrusted her palms out, and a circle of blue surrounded them. The four men were trapped, back to back. "Now, Wuya!" she shouted, lifting her hands to build up the wall of the circle, shimmering with glamour.

Wuya immediately stretched out her hands, and began chanting; "The power of Fire be released from you, the power of Earth be released from you,"

"The power of Water be released from you," said Tala, "the power of Air be released from you."

Their voices blended as one, each chanting as the magic barrier shimmered, dancing faster and faster as their words picked up speed. Magic blasted through the barrier and hit them, nearly knocking Tala off balance. Wuya, too, seemed to be struggling to stay standing on her feet by the sheer force of energy plowing into them.

"Keep your ground!" shouted Tala above the swell, "We must finish this!"

She turned back to the men trapped within the wall of her spell, all screaming and pounding at her barrier in vain. They could not escape.

"Stop your screaming," she yelled at them, "We shall show no mercy, the same as you when my sisters screamed in the fires you burned for them! You deserve a fate far worse than this! The power of Water be released from you! The power of Air be released from you!"

Wuya chimed in, adding her own chants and voice, "The power of Fire be released from you! The power of Earth be released from you!"

"The power of Water come into me," said Tala, sucking the power in through her fingertips, "The power of Air come into me,"

Wuya did the same, "The power of Fire come into me. The power of Earth come into me,"

They continued their chanting until all was gone. The Dragon's powers were theirs. The Xiaolin would never misuse this magic against clan nor witch ever again.

She stood there, the warm magic still tingling up her arms as it slowly cooled. The men dropped to their knees. The barrier dissipated. Tala strode forward to address the crowd, all still neatly lined in their rows. Such silly little dolls they were. Their lack of common sense to run and preserve their own skins made Tala want to laugh.

"My friends," she called, "Today is the day that the age of the Xiaolin Dragon Cycle ends."

She gestured to the men behind her with a sweep of her open palm. "These men you see before you," she told them, "Are no longer your protectors. The creatures that they had once hunted have rendered them helpless and now they are at our mercy. Flee now and save your own lives, or stay and die with them."

Turning her back on the army, she added darkly, "That is your choice,"

"What did you do to us?" asked the Earth Dragon, shaking as he tried to lift himself by his arms.

Tala looked down at him, frowning. "Spared your lives," she said, "_sadly_."

"We've taken your magic, fool," gloated Wuya, with a sharp laugh.

"That is correct," agreed Tala, "And now the Xiaolin Dragons will die, and their line will end."

"That is a lie!" said the Shoku, picking himself up, though doing a fairly poor job at it, "We will go on so long as there is evil to defeat, such as _you_."

He rose, holding his ribs. "The Cycle of the Dragons will not end until the cruelty of the Heylin does," he vowed, "Magic or no magic, good will _always_ triumph over evil!"

"Are you sure about that?" she asked. With a grin aimed toward Wuya, she said, "Would you care to do the honors?"

"Gladly," she said. The ground shook as Wuya held her hands outstretched, "Time to see what my new powers can do!"

From the earth climbed up creatures made of stone, each one larger than the next, rising from all over the valley like spirits from their graves. Soldiers were thrown from where they stood as the beasts clawed themselves out of the ground, rising to the sky like pillars. The men began to scatter, screaming in terror. Pathetic little ants, the lot of them.

Tala looked back to Wuya. "Kill them all," she ordered.

Wuya smiled. "With pleasure."

Tala was startled awake, shaken roughly by someone. She grabbed onto the person's arm and yanked them close, intending to throw her attacker, but a voice cried out "Wait, stop! It's me!"

Tala's eyes adjusted to the dim candlelight in the far corner. "Jia?" she asked, her old friend's face coming into focus. She sat up, and Jia leaned back to give her space, "What are you doing in my room?"

"I was ordered to wake you," she said, "Grand Master Wei is gathering everyone in the main courtyard. There has been an attack."

"An attack?" asked Tala, her heart pounding.

"It is better if you hear from the Grand Master rather than me," Jia answered, "I do not know all of the details."

She stood and Tala rose with her. "You should get dressed," suggested Jia, "I'll get your slippers."

Tala said nothing, still disturbed by her strange dream. She slipped into her robes and tied her belt, thinking about what had happened.

She had seen through Mama's eyes, but Mama would never act so cruelly. And those emotions she had felt with it… the pleasure of hearing those men cry in agony made Tala shudder. That could not have been Mama. It was just another horrible dream, it had to be. Just like all the rest.

Doubt settled in snugly at the base of her heart as Tala braided her hair. That other woman she had mistaken for Mama before, who was she truly? Wuya was her name, Tala remembered, which she would have simply brushed aside if not for the fact that she had been dreaming and having visions for months about her.

Oh, what was she thinking! This Wuya was only a figment of her nightmares! She was a phantom, a mouthpiece for Tala's fears. This dream woman was nothing.

Tala glared at herself in the mirror glass, willing her heart to calm down and for her head to take control of itself. "_Calma síos_," she told herself, "_Nach bhfuil sé fíor_."

"Tala," said Jia, "We should leave quickly."

Tala looked at her, exhausted and afraid. Jia's mouth dipped into a frown. Her eyebrows furrowed with worry. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"No," admitted Tala, "I don't think I am."

* * *

Tala snuck in, small enough to go unnoticed as she took her place beside Dashi and Chase. Guan was behind her, tall enough to see over the others' heads. The courtyard was packed like an overstuffed drawer. People were huddled together in each direction, squeezing in to hear the Grand Master's address to them. A hush fell over the crowd when he lifted his hands to silence their murmuring.

"I have grave news," he told them. The Grand Master's voice shook like the skeleton leaves rattling against the cold wind in the trees above, "I have heard reports from the monasteries in the Northern Mountains. A witch has begun making her way toward the Xiaolin Temple."

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd. Harsh whispers of fear crescendoed into the air like a flock of birds suddenly in a panic. Tala tensed, the heat within her hands rising up to her neck like the hackles of a startled cat.

She instinctively took a half-step back and accidentally bumped into Guan. A gasp bubbled out of her as she looked up to see his worried face towering above her.

"Are you alright?" he asked, but Tala was silent, swallowing the rawness of the cold grinding against the back of her mouth.

She righted herself and began wringing the hem of her robe, focusing on nothing but her inner thoughts. Tala's vision blurred as she reasoned that her dreams of witches and magic might not have been just dreams. But that was silly, wasn't it?

She jumped when a warm hand took one of hers. Chase squeezed it lightly, though he was looking at Grand Master Wei and nothing on his face indicated that he had even acknowledged her distress. Still, the heavy weight on her palm was a comfort, which Tala took gladly. She squeezed back and he let go.

"There is no need for us to panic," assured the Grand Master boldly, "We have nothing to fear from this monster!"

He swept an arm, gesturing toward the Xiaolin Apprentices. His golden winter robes shimmered under the moonlight, when he said, "The Elemental Cycle has been completed once more! The Xiaolin Dragons are more powerful than they have been in over three centuries! They will protect us and we shall not fall under the weight of Heylin tyranny!"

Chase stepped forward and joined the Grand Master at his side. His back was rigid when he also addressed the crowd. With a fist held high in the air, he spoke. "Do not worry, we will not fail you. My fellow Apprentices and I have the favor of heaven. As the Grand Master says, the Cycle is now whole and, united, we are strong. This witch will stand no chance against us!"

The crowd cheered with him, though the veil of uncertainty and wariness still clung to the air around the courtyard. Tala could feel it circling like a predator, slowly weaving its way between each person as a snake glides across the earth.

The cold wind licked at the back of her neck, sending a chill up Tala's spine. Heat prickled her hands at the surprise, but the magic's defensiveness did not fade as the wind died down again. Instead, it intensified. Tala felt the weight of eyes upon her shoulders. She brushed it off, knowing that she and the other Dragon apprentices were at the center of the crowd's attention.

* * *

Fools, all of them fools.

As the Fire monk addressed the crowd, all bravado and awashed in the adoration of those sniveling cowards, Wuya watched from the shadows of the rooftop. She took refuge beneath one of the small watch towers, hiding behind the glare of the torch bowl's flame as it lit up the courtyard below.

She crouched, eyes focused on the four children whose blood she would soon be bathing in. The Xiaolin apprentices, _ha_! Pigs, the lot of them, no more fit to protect the world than those maids cowering around them in the cold.

Of course, she had not come to destroy them just yet. Not tonight. No, Wuya was here regarding another matter.

Her fingers curled around the pendant tightly, warming the cool metal with her touch. The pointed sides dug into her palm, reminding her to stay patient. Shi-Ahn's death would not be in vain.

Wuya let her other hand linger over the torch bowl as she watched the apprentices huddle together. Her palm caressed the fire idly. Instead of burning her, the flames around her hand glowed green. They danced between her fingers affectionately, an old friend.

Her lips curled into a smile when she spotted her target. Dressed in the yellow robes of the Air monk, and small enough to almost be left unnoticed, was Tala. Even though she was adorned in the guise of a human, and her hair passably black and tamed into braids, Wuya could see so much of Shi-Ahn in her. There was the blood of a true witch lying beneath the surface of the girl's facade.

"_There_ you are," she whispered, "I have been looking everywhere for you."

Now would be her chance, if any, to finish what her sister had started. With Tala at her side, and with the skills Wuya would teach her, the pair would be unstoppable and the Xiaolin Dragons' line would end permanently.

"You don't have to worry anymore, Tala," she said, "Auntie's here."

* * *

A hand slapped over Tala's mouth, startling her awake.

Instantly reacting, her magic tossed the attacker away, but they sprang back upon her in a flash. Like ropes, the assailant's fingers wrapped themselves around Tala's wrists, pinning them above her head.

Tala kicked their stomach, but whomever it was grappling with her in the dark did not even flinch. They grunted painfully, a winded voice saying "Enough,"

"Get off of me," Tala hissed, but her attacker pressed their weight more firmly against her.

"Listen to me," they insisted with a harsh whisper, "I'm trying to tell you something!"

Tala hooked her legs around the towering figure and flipped them. Straddling them, she went for a punch, but she was too slow. The other person blocked the punch and flipped Tala over again, this time keeping her down with their knees. The air rushed out of Tala's stomach as they leaned down, focusing the full weight on her abdomen.

Tala's hands were once again above her head, and the more she struggled the harder it was to breathe. This person, whoever it was, knew it. With a calloused chuckle alarmingly close to Tala's ear, they said, "Well, now Tala, since I've finally got your attention, I have a message for you."

Tala gasped for air, fighting for breath and freedom.

"Calm _down_," snapped the attacker, "You're going to pass ou if you don't conserve your energy."

With a growl, Tala stopped moving. The hands holding her wrists shifted until only one clamped them together firmly. The other, now free, stroked Tala's cheek with its knuckles lightly.

"Try to relax," the voice instructed, "Tensing wastes energy, too. We also don't want your magic to build up too fast. You won't be able to control it, and we don't want anybody to get hurt, now do we?"

Tala turned her face away from the touch as if the hand had slapped her.

"_Oooh,_" cooed the voice with hissing glee, "Someone already _has_, haven't they? A friend? A lover, perhaps? No, you're a bit still too young for that, now aren't you? Poor thing. No boys have taken notice of you, have they?"

Tala shifted her shoulders, swallowing her anger. She refused to give her attacker the satisfaction of a response.

"Hit a nerve, did I?" snapped the feminine voice, "Don't worry, I know you couldn't possibly have kill them. You're still too soft to have seen your first blood. But with a little _guidance_ that problem can be fixed, I assure you. You'll look a little older too, I'd bet. Death matures us, you know. You're pretty enough. In no time, you could become irresistible. Draw in more lambs for slaughter."

"You talk too much," spat Tala. She whipped her head back to bite the fingers, which just narrowly avoided her teeth. Quicker than she was, the hand covered Tala's mouth again, as hard and as cold as steel.

"But the time for idle chit-chat ends now," the voice sang, "Like I said, I have a message that you need to hear."

The hand lifted from her mouth, and with the snap of fingers, green flames, brighter than jade, flashed above its fingers. Gazing down at her under the fire's' flickering glow, was the face from Tala's nightmares.

Tala could not tell the eye color since it matched the color of the flames, but the demonically twisted smile and black markings fanning out from beneath the woman's eyes were identical to the phantom she had come to know as Wuya.

Tala's pulse quickened as her hands began to burn. They itched while she fought the panic rising through her chest. The woman chided Tala with a click of her tongue.

"Now, now," she said, "Don't be frightened, sweetheart. I'm only here to help you."

She blew the fire from her fingers and the room, once again, became pitch black. Tala heard the snap of fingers again as the candle beside her head was lit. The green flame fizzled down into the familiar yellow glow as the witch picked the candlestick up and held it in her hand.

The room began to magically fill with soft grey light, as if the dawn were rising. Though the candle did not brighten the room completely, Tala could make out the dark shade of red in the woman's hair. However, the eyes were shaded too darkly against her already dark skin, muddied by the twilight grey, and remained a mystery. The woman let go of the candle and it floated beside her head, bobbing lazily.

The witch sat up, leaning just enough away to give Tala the release of pressure to breathe.

Catching her breath with the much missed air, Tala choked out, "Wuya."

"Tala," answered the witch flatly.

"Who are you?"

"You already answered that one, kiddo," said Wuya, "Sheesh, you thick in the head or what?"

"No," said Tala, quick to her own defense, "I mean, _who_ are you? Why have you been in my dreams? Why are you attacking me?"

Wuya rolled her eyes and folded her arms. Pursing her lips, she said, "I'm guessing Shi-Ahn never really told you about me."

Tala stayed silent, glaring at the witch. She needed to to think of a way to catch her off guard and attack.

"Well, judging by your so-called _dreams_," continued Wuya, "It looks like my signals have been getting to you."

"Your 'signals' have been giving me nightmares for the past year and a half," snapped Tala. Her hands burned as her anger rose, "Just what were you trying to accomplish?"

"Your voice is _really_ annoying," sneered the witch, "did you know that?"

"And your vague dancing around is really annoying!" Tala shot back.

"If you'd just shut up for a minute," Wuya told her, "I'd be able to tell you."

Tala bit her tongue, sucking in a deep breath to steady herself. She needed to stay calm in order to think of a plan.

"You keep talking about a message," said Tala, "What is it?"

"_Finally_," groaned Wuya, "Sit up."

Wuya unhooked something from around her neck and pulled a palm-sized pendant from beneath her dress, tugging it gingery out from her high collar. Tala wriggled out from under her and folded her legs together, watching Wuya warily.

Wuya handed the pendant to Tala. It was heavy and it seemed far larger in her hands. A ruby was cut into the middle of it, shining oddly under the ashy light. The iron around the gem was shaped into three crescents on the east, west, and southern points, suspended by rods against the plate holding the ruby. It was a strange shape which, though she could not place why, reminded Tala of an eye. She turned it, the flash of the ruby under the gaze of the floating candle winking at her.

"That was your mother's," said Wuya, "The symbol of the Mountain Clan."

Tala's glaring eyes flickered to Wuya. Cautiously, she said, "Mama told me night stories about the Mountain Clan sometimes, but she never mentioned this."

"She hid it from you then," answered Wuya. She did not look to happy about that, "She and I were the daughters of the Matriarch. As our mother's heir, the symbol was passed down to Shi-Ahn."

"Why do _you_ have it, then?" muttered Tala.

"Because your mother gave it to me," Wuya snapped back, her own glower flaring the familiar and frightening green before dying back down, "She had asked _me_ to take her place. _Me_, when there was nothing left to take the place _of_!"

"So you decided to find me," Tala concluded angrily, "to give me the place instead."

"_What_? No, no, no, that's not it at all_,_" assured Wuya, breaking her serious character with a wave of her hands, "I came to find you, to show you, what your mother had really intended for you as her daughter."

"And _that_ would be?"

Wuya's face contorted into a feral smile, much like the one in Tala's dream. With a chuckle, she said, "To rule."

Tala sat back, her shock a little more than feigned. She hardly believed what Wuya had said, but even so, Tala could taste bitterness on her tongue from the venomous way the witch had spat out her words.

"You know I'm right, Tala," said Wuya.

"No," said Tala flatly, squinting her skepticism, "you're not."

"Pardon?" hissed Wuya through her pointed teeth, raising an eyebrow by her own disbelief.

"I know that you are wrong," Tala stated simply, "My mother would never hurt anyone. She loved me. Everyone knows that monsters feel no love, no matter what those twisted nightmares you put into my head tell me."

"You didn't really know Shi-Ahn, then," Wuya growled, "She was your mother, but she was no saint. You know she killed those children, deep down, I _know_ you do. Put those fairy tales she told you aside for a second and listen to your head."

"You say," said Tala, feeling rather confident, "that I did not know my mother, but did _you_? Mama never left our farm, not once, not even when my sister died. She could not have killed anybody, least of all the village children."

"Shi had her ways," said Wuya with her own smirk, "My sister was a powerful witch. Not as powerful as me, mind you, but still. Shi-Ahn always knew how to be resourceful."

"I don't believe you!" shouted Tala, "Besides, how can I anyway when my mother has never even breathed one word about you? How can I be so sure that what you say is true? _Any_ of it, even?"

"I knew about you, didn't I?"

Wuya's confident smile, cocky and cheery, unnerved her. Wuya leaned back, with a deep chuckle. Tala wondered if she was savoring the build up, watching her squirm.

After the long, painful seconds of silence, the witch said, "As Shi-Ahn died, she sent her memories to me. All were of you: Your birth, your sister's death, the year you spent wandering around aimlessly without her, your father _begging _Shi-Ahn not to go out after those boys! Oh, it was all so sad, really."

Tala froze.

No one but she and Papa knew about what had really made Meilin sick. Tala could still remember how cold Meilin's skin was from the ice water dripping from her hair and down her back. Her hands shook at the memory of how blue Meilin's lips were. No matter how hard she tried, how tightly she held her sister, Tala could not get Meilin warm enough to stop shivering.

Tala raged with the memory, her hands burning in contrast to the hollow coldness in her chest.

So that was what had happened to Mama. Tala had always been confused as to why Papa had warned her not to tell Mama what had really happened, that Meilin had not just slipped into the river while they were playing. She understood why now, if what Wuya said was the truth.

Papa must have told Mama why Meilin could not stop coughing. The year of silence had gotten to him, and Mama...

"You're lying!" Tala cried, not wanting to believe, "I never saw Mama leave! She never left the mat that night, she didn't!"

Wuya's smirk widened, showing her horrible fangs. "That's because she didn't want you to," she gloated.

Tala could not breathe. She clutched at her stomach. "No, you're lying," she whispered, eyes hazing with heat from tears still yet to form, "Mama didn't, she couldn't have! Ahe-"

Tala crumpled. Fear, anger and despair rushed into her stomach all at once and Tala had to swallow down the bile that heaved up into her throat. She coughed from the harshness still burning through her chest as she cried. "I hate you," she whimpered through her panicking, "I hate you!"

"It doesn't matter if you hate me," said Wuya, "You don't even have to trust me."

She began rubbing Tala's back lightly, the warmth of her hand calming down whatever protests still jabbed at Tala's stomach. Tala did not bother shaking her off.

"But," cooed Wuya, "what you _need_ to do is avenge your mother."

"_Avenge_?" Tala nearly laughed, appalled.

"It was her dying wish, after all," sang Wuya, "And I'm the one who is supposed to help you fulfill it."

Tala glared at Wuya from beneath the curtain of her black hair. "No," she snapped, "I want _nothing_ from you."

"You'll be taking that back, once you realize what I'm offering," said Wuya with a shrug, "You still can't keep a good grip on your magic, right?"

Tala set her jaw.

"I'll take that as a yes," said Wuya.

One more second of that arrogant smile, and Tala would rip it off of her. Her hands burned, agreeing with the intent and more than happy to oblige.

"Do you want to control your powers?" asked Wuya slyly, "If I had found you earlier, you would not have had to live in fear of yourself for this long. Honestly, I'd blame your father for that one if I were you."

"Don't you bring my Papa into this!"

"He's the one that dumped you among your kind's worst enemy," said Wuya, "not me,"

"Papa was protecting me!"

"Carel _knew_ this was the Xiaolin Temple, and yet he left you here anyway."

"He didn't have a choice!"

"Believe what you want," dismissed Wuya with a wave of her hand, "The past is the past, anyway. Right now, you need to focus on the future and from what I see yours is going to involve a burning stake if you just keep sliding by like you have, _hoping_ your magic doesn't slip up and kill somebody."

"I've kept it from killing you so far, haven't I?" Tala challenged, balling her fists. The heat flared, egging her on.

"Woah, ho, ho!" laughed Wuya, "Slow your roll, there kid! I can hardly understand you! _Seriously_, did you just happen pick up on Carel's accent naturally, or did you have to actually work at it for you to sound like that?"

Tala rolled her eyes. Folding her arms, she said "It doesn't matter how I sound to you. You will not be hearing my voice again after tonight."

Wuya's smile twisted into a sneer. "You're dead set on that, aren't you?"

"I don't care what you have to offer me," vowed Tala, "I don't want it."

Wuya harrumphed, and looked a bit defeated. Turning her back, she said, "Well, I suppose I should just give up then."

Tala knew that was a lie. This was far from over whether she liked it or not.

"I guess you're just going to have to manage your _unlimited_ power on your own," said Wuya, feigning deep concern, "Never mind that I'm trying to help."

"Just get out," muttered Tala.

Wuya turned back to her, now smiling cheerfully. "Oh well, I tried," she said a little too quickly, "But do me a favor and think about it, won't you?"

She stood and Tala stood with her, refusing to give Wuya an advantage. Tala tossed her the pendant saying, "Here, you can have this back."

Wuya tossed it back. "Keep it," she said, "It's yours. Think of it as a gift."

"I already said that I want nothing from you,"

"A gift from your mother," corrected Wuya with a green flick of her eyes.

Not knowing how to respond, Tala stood silently, looking down at the pendant in her hand.

"Look, kid," said Wuya. Tala looked up at her. Both Wuya's face and voice were solemn, "I'll be back in a couple of days for your answer. If you still don't want to at least try training with me by then, I'll leave you alone."

"Fine," Tala clipped.

Wuya jumped up onto the windowsill, crouching like a cat, one arm leaning against the frame to hold her steady.

Looking back at Tala, she said "Don't get caught," and jumped.

The candle that had been floating dropped and went out, leaving Tala alone in the darkness again.

* * *

**AN: Hello, everyone! I'll be taking a break from EoD for a while. NanoWriMo is starting, and I'm participating in it this year, so I need to put most, if not all, of my focus on getting that project done. Wish me luck!**

**-TNIB**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

_Eight_ Overlap_

In the dark of her room, Tala sat in silence.

She had not thought about her sister for a year, and suddenly, at the hands of a witch, her head became filled with those memories again. At the edge of the darkness that flooded all of her senses, such a heavy dark that it was hard to know if she herself was even real, images of Meilin danced in flashes of light, seconds at a time. They flared like fireflies, blinking.

Melin was two years Tala's elder, with soft hair as red as Mama's, and skin as pale as Papa's. Her eyes were round and sharp. They were dark like Papa's, and seemed a bit big for her face, but they still held the almond familiarity of the other village folk, especially when she smiled.

She missed the way how Meilin always got red in summer, and Tala remembered poking at her as a little girl, watching her skin go yellow, then fade back to red after a long day under the sun.

Meilin would look twice as pale in winter. Tala wondered if there could have been some magic in her too, the way her veins showed on her arms so bright and so blue, like rivers joining and flowing together. Yes, some people were paler than others, especially in the cold, but Meilin had a way about her, changing from summer red to winter white as quickly as she did, that mystified Tala. She had often wished that she could change like that too.

Meilin was twelve, the age Tala was now, when she had died from winter fever. However, the truth was that Meilin had been murdered, though the death had come slowly and painfully. Tala had tried so hard to forget, but the phantoms of that day still haunted her.

They had been playing by the riverbank just beyond the rice fields. It was the only place the girls were allowed to go to on their own; it was secluded there, and Mama said that it was safer than the dusty roads where the other children played. She never told them why.

It was the dead of winter and the snow had freshly fallen. Tala loved sliding along the thickened ice of the river, much against Meilin's protesting. She always loved teasing Meilin, running just out of her reach whenever she tried to pull Tala away from her fun. Tala was adventurous, especially when Meilin scolded her for going too far from home. As a game, Tala would continue her exploring, pretending to be oblivious just to spite her elder sister, and would ask if the wind was calling her the louder Meilin's shouting became.

That cold, snowy day had been no different. The ground was packed with snow, so thick that the children's legs sunk down into it when they clambered over the hill. Papa had been chopping wood for heat near by, and the girls had gone to play at the riverbank to stay out of his way without straying too far. They should never have left his sight, but Tala had wandered off much farther than she should have, teasing Meilin by pretending to be deaf to her reprimands.

Tala closed her eyes, breathing slowly, fighting to keep the memory clear, though her body shook with held back tears and whimpers. It did not matter; her eyes saw darkness, whether opened or closed. She felt safer, though, squeezing them shut.

She could still see the footprints trailing from the riverbank behind her in the thin layer of white over the ice, when she looked back at her sister, ordering Tala not to move. The forest behind was dead silent, so when Tala heard the laughter of those boys, echoing through the bare branches, it sounded like a chorus of wolves. They might as well have been.

Meilin spotted them, before Tala could turn her head toward the sound, and rushed onto the river. She lost her balance, but grabbed Tala's arm, and yanked her back with such a force that Tala slipped and slid back, behind Meilin.

Tala clung to a branch rising from the ice, and she had barely looked up in time to see Meilin staring down four elder boys. They were yelling slurs at her, calling her '_fire head_,' '_round eyes_,' and '_witchling_,' as Meilin screamed at them to leave her and Tala alone, throwing snow at them. Meilin screamed at Tala to go, to find Papa. She did not have to say it twice.

Tala remembered running, screaming and crying so desperately for Papa, that her voice had become her enemy. It choked her when she found him. He did not need to hear her voice. Papa ran to help Meilin, taking his axe. He had told her to stay by the cart, but Tala was too scared to be alone. She followed him, anyway.

They came to the riverbank, and saw that Meilin had fallen through thin ice. Every time she tried to pull herself out, the boys pushed her back down again, taking turns and laughing as she cried, gasping for air each time. Papa chased them away with his hollering voice and swinging axe, but Meilin had already stopped moving when he pulled her from the water.

Papa bundled her up in his cloak, as Tala helplessly watched him pick her up into his arms, crying. The only other thing she could remember as vividly as the rest was Meilin's own crying when she began to breathe again, asking for Mama. Tala slept close to her that night, feeling her skin, still so cold, as if she had carried the river itself underneath her skin, shiver against her. Then the coughing started.

It began a fortnight later. The fever came soon after, and, by the end of winter, Meilin had passed on.

Papa swore Tala to secrecy. Mama was to never know what had happened. They told Mama a different tale, one of Meilin slipping through thin ice as she and Tala played, to explain why she had come home so cold, weak, and shivering, with her hair and clothes dripping wet, sodden down with ice and snow.

Tala stopped being adventurous after that. She stopped climbing trees and sliding on the icy river. She never played, not even when Papa sang his strange songs, or when Mama took her hands to dance. Never again, not without her sister.

"I'm so sorry, Meilin," Tala whispered into the darkness.

She felt the hot tears roll down her chin. Her chest tightened with panic, when she choked down her self hatred, and still she let the memories flow. Tala needed to let them run their course. She had buried those memories for too long, trying to forget. Meilin deserved more than that.

Tala lay down on her mat, curling into herself. She shivered when she pulled the blanket over her shoulder. As she drifted back to sleep, the last image that flashed across Tala's mind was Meilin curled up beside her, shivering too.

* * *

Tala suppressed a yawn. The cold was all that was keeping her awake. She was exhausted, thanks to that horrid old hag. Tala blinked, trying to keep her eyes focused on Grand Master Wei, as he drank his tea. He sat opposite of her, looking much like a peacock in his colorful winter robes, simmering blue and green against the white snow behind him.

Tala and Chase had not met the Grand Master in his quarters, as they had assumed they would. Instead, Grand Master Wei asked for them to come to the Dragons' Garden, in order to discuss what had happened the night before. The three of them sat under the ornate pavilion, their only shelter from the lightly falling snow gathering among the boulders and leafless shrubs that littered the grounds.

Grand Master Wei's ever vigilant eunuch stood to the side behind him, fanning the outdoor cooking pot that was warming several small loaves of bread. His eyes darted from his work to Tala, wide and worried. She looked away from the eunuch, her eyes matching the same roundness of his, when the Grand Master began to speak.

"So," he said, voice deep and grave, "All you've managed to do, after a year of training, is to turn an old wall crack into an even larger one."

Chase stiffened beside Tala, but both remained silent. Tala wrung her hands out of habit, though her magic did not burn her this time.

"The two of you are lucky," continued Grand Master Wei sternly, "That I was able to cover up that noise you made so easily."

He placed his tea down and snapped his fingers. The eunuch quickly handed him a plate with one of the heated rolls, still steaming, with nervous, shaking hands. The Grand Master cut through the bun, the heat within it escaping into the air as fog, and he said, "A storm was approaching from the south. Nothing to worry about, just passing through, but the thunder could still be heard overhead as it rolled toward the north. _That_ is what you will say if anyone is to question you, understood?"

Both Chase and Tala nodded, but the Grand Master was not finished. His dark eyes flicked a glare at them both, holding them with latent anger.

"I am very disappointed in you both," he told them, though his eyes fell onto Tala especially, "I expected better of two Dragon hopefuls."

His eyes then fell upon Chase. Tala did not know that they could have looked any more cross, but the brown of them darkened with a glint of vexation when they looked at him.

"I expected more, especially from _you_, Chase," said the Grand Master, with his voice verging onto a growl, "You are a Wudai Warrior, and _favorite_ for the Shoku position, yet it seems that you cannot even keep a proper eye on your young charge, here. My eunuch, Yat-sen, tells me that Tala had nearly been hurt, under your urging to continue with the stance when she and her magic were under distress. How can I expect you to lead three other Dragons, if you cannot even handle leading _one_ Trainee?"

Chase bowed, and out of the corner of her eye, Tala could see him visibly shaking with anger. "Yes, Grand Master," he mumbled through his teeth.

"To become a proper Shoku Warrior, you _must_ be more vigilant," Grand Master Wei told Chase calmly, his voice no longer harsh, "A good leader _listens_ to those who are under his guidance, and does not ignore them when there is a problem. He does not strain his warriors past their abilities; he does not tear them down when they are weak, but raises them up to places higher than they have ever been. He does this, not by pushing them, but by loving them. If you cannot do this, then my eyes will look to another for the position, whether you _are_ a prodigy or not."

"Yes, Grand Master," said Chase again, just barely a whisper.

Tala saw his fingers curl in, though he stayed in his bow. His eyes were steely, filled with the same fire she had seen many times in the eyes of his father, bringing back the memory of when Master Young had spoken his hatred to Tala in her quarters. It frightened her to see that rage coming from her friend.

Grand Master Wei, again, set his sights on Tala and, though his voice was gentle, the sudden calling of her name made Tala jump.

"Yes, sir?" she asked.

"Report," ordered the Grand Master, "How much more have you improved in your training?"

"I beg your pardon, Grand Master," she said, bowing, as Chase did, "but I am still a Trainee. My progress has not been very smooth, and my magic is still limited, but I,"

The Grand Master waved off her words. "Enough," he told her, "I've heard enough,"

"What's clear to me," he said, flicking his fingers to signal to both warriors that they could rise, "is that I have been far too lax with the both of you."

He looked them each square in the eye. "Yat-sen has told me," he said to Tala, "how your magic reacted when you channeled it through your movements. It was powerful, but you must learn how to keep yourself in control of it upon release. You've nearly blasted Chase, Yat-sen, _and_ yourself away, when you became nervous and lost your focus. However, this proves that there _is_ a way to reconnect magic with the martial arts."

To Chase, he added, with a slight nod and approving smile, "We have you to thank for that, Chase. If you had not suggested channeling, Tala would not have climbed this intriguing step. My order to you now is to become a tutor to Tala, not just her guardian. Train her well, young monk."

He glanced at Tala, his smile dropping to a serious line. "You are to have Chase accompany you during every magic session that you have, in order for him to give you the extra training and assistance you need, so that you may explore this possibility further," he told her sternly, "Is my order understood?"

Tala nodded to him, wringing her hands. This was the last thing she wanted, but there was no helping it now. An order directly from the Grand Master could not be challenged; his word was the law.

"Yes, Grand Master," she told him, accepting the command with a formal bow.

However, there _was_ a second option, one that Tala considered taking, should all else fail. If she could manage to pull it off, Tala would be able to not only to control her magic, but find the very answer the Grand Master and her friends were looking for.

She was going to say yes.

* * *

Wuya reappeared four nights later. It was after Tala had returned from a night of training with Chase under the willow tree, and had just barely nestled beneath her blankets, that Wuya shook her awake.

"Tala," hissed the hag, roughly pushing Tala off of her mat, "_get _up!"

Neither bothered to light a candle. Tala had decided it was best for Wuya not see the seething hatred on her face. Instead, Tala lay on the floor, sprawled out like a starfish, and stared up at the black ceiling. "I really do _hate _you," she muttered under her breath.

Tala heard Wuya snort, and then was dragged by the collar of her night dress, forced to sit up. Green fire glowed beneath the witch's face, cradled menacingly by her hooked fingers. A gleaming smile, with dagger-like teeth, widened out of her full lips. It was all Tala could do not to appear too disgusted by the way Wuya's nose crinkled, and how her eyes sparkled with twisted joy. The pure malice in them made her feel ill.

"I believe you have something to tell me," said the witch, as sweetly as honey, and as sickening as blood.

"Yes," said Tala, doing her best to match the witch's horrible smile, mostly to cover up her utter revulsion at this grotesque mockery of her mother, "I do."

She had to make this perfect, in order to look convincing. Tala took a breath, and they both grew still. The room was so silent, that Tala heard the whips of the fire dancing as it lit the space between her and Wuya. She tapped her fingers together, trying to focus, when her hands began to burn; _One, two, three, four, one, two, three, four_.

"_Well_?" Wuya coaxed, raising a suspicious eyebrow, "Don't leave me in suspense, kid."

"Yes," said Tala, upon the release of her breath. The heat in her hands subsided simultaneously with it, "_Yes_, I shall accept your offer to teach me how to control my powers."

Wuya's smile widened, not with joy, but as a predator, whose prey had fallen into her trap, "Excellent."

Tala did not like the looks of this, and knew very well that she could have been setting herself up for death, but there was no turning back. Tala understood that it would have to be through her that the Xiaolin Dragons would reclaim their lost magic, just as the Grand Master believed that she would. Tala was also of certain of one thing. She could feel it in her gut that, if anything could help her to find the answer to reawakening the lost Xiaolin magic, then Wuya and her secrets would be it.

Grand Master and Chase, forgive her, it had to be done.

* * *

**AN: So, change of plans. I have to quit NanoWriMo. My grandmother died on the 5th, and her funeral is tomorrow. My word count was already low, but with the preparations for her funeral, I have fallen way behind, and I don't see myself catching up anytime soon. I'm still working on the novel, but it won't be finished by the end of November, I'm certain of that.**

**In fact, the only reason I was really able to put this chapter up tonight was because I already had it half way done when NanoWriMo started, and I felt that ever elusive spark of inspiration for this project. However, you guys still, most likely, won't be seeing me until December, thanks to some things coming up, anyway. **

**-TNIB**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

_Nine_As The Pieces Fall_

Chase dodged as Dashi brought the staff down, blocking it with his own. He retreated with four spins of his staff and Dashi mirrored him as he advanced, leaving no time for Chase to back out of the pit.

Chase met Dashi's strike, but under the disadvantage he held the weaker stance. The tip of his staff smacked the ground, brought down by Dashi's hit. Sand sprayed like breaking waves as the boys struggled for dominance. Though Dashi had his staff trapped, one look into his opponent's eyes told Chase that he was far from finished.

If Chase had blinked, he would have been hit. Dashi swung up his staff to strike at Chase's head, but missed when Chase saw the change in his eyes and ducked. Dashi crossed behind, touching his ankles for a low-sweeping strike, but was again too slow.

Chase jumped over the staff with ease and blocked the third strike, protecting his face from a jab. Chase brought Dashi's staff down, smacking it hard enough to knock it from his opponent's hand. Sand flew when it landed with a muffled thud.

"_Chase_," called Master Young with a sharp bark, "You are _Yin_, in this exercise. You must be purely defense without aggression. Dashi is Yang, and it is him who disarms, not you."

Chase rolled his eyes before turning to face the Master. He bowed as his father approached the sand pit. The man's entire body was rigid, locked in stiff place by his anger. When he came to a standstill, Master Young was like a statue, tall and stone-faced. "What is going on in that brain of yours, today?" he snapped when Chase's eyes met his.

Chase steadied himself with a breath. He watched as the scarred side of Master Young's lip twitched, waiting for the answer. Chase decided to focus on the slight indent of it and said, "My apologies, Master Young. There are no excuses for my transgression."

Seemingly satisfied, Master Young nodded curtly and turned his back. "Again," he said, "and this time be sure to keep that hastiness of yours in check. Sloppiness in battle costs more than just your pride, my son."

"Yes, sir," said Chase before he and Dashi returned to their starting positions.

Dashi met his eye with concern. Chase rolled his eyes and flashed a half-hearted smile, winking. He slid into the transition of the starting side-stance, bowing and opening his hand as he turned his head to look at Dashi over his shoulder. Dashi did the same, and Master Young rang the gong.

Dashi came at Chase with a downward strike. Chase dodged to the side and blocked his body, meeting Dashi's staff with a rough push. Dashi was quick to react and swept his staff underneath Chase's block, then grabbed Chase's hand. Fluidly, Dashi twisted, tossing Chase up into the air and onto his back.

Before Chase knew what had happened, the butt of Dashi's staff was inches from his nose.

"Looks like I'm improving," gloated Dashi, "You better watch out, or I might just make Dragon before you do. I might even get Shoku!"

Chase shot up and brought his staff down hard onto Dashi's shoulder. The staff cracked, nearly breaking into two, and fell to the ground. Dashi cradled his arm and cried out as he fell to his knees, dropping his own staff.

Chase caught his breath while Dashi glared up at him, tears of pain beginning to escape his accusing eyes.

"I'm sorry," Chase lied through a quivering smile. He was snatched roughly by the cloth on his shoulder,and was pushed away by Master Young, which wiped the smile from his face.

Master Young shouted at him, "_Leave_!"

Tala and Guan rushed forward to meet him as Master Young helped Dashi to his feet, gently. The pit in Chase's stomach fell when he looked at Tala, who stared at him with horror. Her eyes were wide and they were filled with such disgust that the normal grey of them looked nearly white. He had forgotten that she was watching.

Tala's hands shook at her sides and she balled them into fists as her wide eyes narrowed into a glare. She was practically vibrating. Chase swore that he could hear buzzing.

He wanted to explain, but she turned away and took Dashi's other side to help Master Young walk him to the Medicine Suite. Chase wished that he was still holding the staff so he could throw it down again.

"Damn it!" he shouted, as Guan placed a reassuring hand on his back. The touch startled him and Chase ripped himself away from it, feeling trapped. He could not breathe.

"What happened?" asked Guan.

Chase ran his fingers through his hair, pacing with short strides. This was wrong, this was all wrong!

"Chase," Guan tried again, "What happened?"

Chase turned on him, "I don't know! I don't _know_ what happened!"

"You're lying," snapped Guan, "Why did you hit him?"

Chase began pacing again, a growl escaping him.

"_Answer_ me,"

"Stop!" shouted Chase, "_Just_, shut up. I can't, I- I just need to,"

Chase cried out, kicking the broken staff away, snapping it in half completely. He watched the two halves fly. One stuck straight up into the sand when it landed.

"Grand Master Wei," said Chase, quietly. His throat tightened, choking him. He swallowed hard, trying to breathe, "I can't stop thinking about what he said."

"Grand Master Wei?" asked Guan, "When did you speak with him?"

"Yesterday," said Chase, focusing on the standing half of the staff. His throat still tightened like a rope around his neck, so he stopped himself short and spoke no further.

Guan's presence fell still beside him like the snowfall around them. Chase watched his own breath coil up into the clouds, wishing that it was fiery smoke, not steam, that poured from his mouth.

"What did he tell you?" Guan ventured finally, with a sigh woven within his words.

"That I'm not worthy of the Shoku position," Chase admitted, using all of his willpower not to spit out the bitterness that tipped his tongue.

Guan fell silent again, audibly breathing in slowly. Chase could always tell Guan was about to say something that they both would regret whenever he did that.

However, Guan stayed quiet as the two watched the snowflakes stick to the boulders and lie between the grooves of the sand that were left untouched in the spar.

Chase picked at his sleeve, playing with the bump left from Tala's terrible mending. His stomach dropped again as he remembered her face.

"I screwed up, Guan," he whispered, "I think she hates me now."

"Tala?"

"Yeah,"

"I doubt that she does," said Guan, "but it would not be unwise to apologize."

"I don't think she'll take it," Chase told him, swallowing the stone in his throat again.

"I meant to Dashi," corrected Guan frankly.

"Right," said Chase, grimacing.

"Why is it that you want her to admire you, so much?" Guan asked.

Chase heard the eagerness in his voice, and wondered what he really meant. He did not voice this but, instead, answered, "It's not so much that, but I _do_ want to be friends with her. Tala's so closed; I just want her to open up to me."

"And yet she can't do that while you are acting insane," Guan reprimanded, "You cannot let your emotions get the better of you like this. If the exercise had been an actual battle, you would have been killed and it would not have mattered what Grand Master Wei had said, or how Tala sees you."

"Shaddup," Chase scoffed to ease the tension, "I was fine. I had it handled."

"Yes," agreed Guan, with a sigh, "lying on your back with the end of a staff on your nose is most certainly handling it."

Chase chuckled at the joke then looked at him, but dropped his smile when he saw that Guan wasn't returning it.

"I am being serious, Chase," said Guan sternly.

Chase looked away, avoiding the full blow of Guan's overwhelming stare. He rubbed his thumb over the bump in his sleeve again and rolled his eyes.

"Your temper is going to land you into trouble, someday," said Guan, sounding much older than fifteen, "and I won't be around to help you get a hold of yourself when it does."

"You sound like my father," Chase snorted.

"Gladly," Guan snipped, "Master Young is a wise man. I admire him."

"I just can't take you seriously when you do that," Chase told him, lightly patting Guan on his bare shoulder when he walked past him.

"You should consider it," said Guan, but Chase was finished with paying attention.

Now that he had calmed down, Chase was tired and, oddly enough, a little bit hungry. Perhaps there was time to grab a snack from the kitchens before dealing with covering his tracks.

* * *

"Hold still, please," said Jia as she wound the bandage around Dashi's shoulder.

Tala winced with sympathy when Dashi hissed, whistling through his teeth at the slightest touch to his collar bone.

He was bare-chested, thanks to Jia having to cut off his shirt. Dashi had complained that it was one of his favorites, but when having to decide between the cloth and adding more pain to his injury he aptly chose to have it removed with the scissors as carefully as possible.

"I was able to pick out most of the splinters," said Jia while she wound the bandage again, this time more slowly, "but I fear the shoulder may be broken."

"Jee," snapped Dashi, "you think?"

Tala admired the control of restraint held in Jia's voice when she said, "I am no physician, Honored Warrior, but yes. The Masters have called for a doctor from the Southern Capitol to give a second opinion, but I have been advised to tell you to hold your arm in a sling until he arrives."

Dashi glared, staring at nothing in particular, and sulked. Tala held back a snort at how much he looked like a pouting little kid. Dashi must have felt her staring at him, because he looked at Tala out of the corner of his eye. His glare softened, and still looking at Tala, he asked Jia, "Do you mind if I talk to my friend here alone?"

Jia backed away from him with a bow, and silently left the room.

Tala's heart quickened when Dashi looked at her fully on. She worried her fingers, intertwining them, and dropped her gaze to her feet. She swung them lightly, crossing her ankles, since they could not touch the floor.

"_Sooo_," said Dashi playfully, "how are _you_?"

Tala did not want to look at him. The sound of his voice alone made her heart want to jump out of her throat. "There is not much to say," Tala answered hesitantly, "I'm sorry that Chase hit you like that."

"_Ehh_," said Dashi lazily, "I'll get him back once I'm feeling better. It's not like this is the first time this has happened."

Too surprised to be embarrassed, Tala snapped her head up. "He's done this _before_?" she cried.

Dashi rolled his eyes, smirking with a scoff. "Come on, Tala, you've know the guy for a year now," he told her, "Don't tell me Chase hasn't shown you his temper like that yet."

Tala felt her forehead tighten as her face scrunched with hardened disbelief. "Not really," she admitted, "Chase is hasty and rude sometimes, but I've never known him to be so vicious."

"Get ready for a story then," said Dashi rather happily for someone whose shoulder had just been broken, "It was back when we were first Trainees. Before Guan came, it was just me and Chase. We were chosen together, but Chase was more of a natural than I was when it came to, well, _everything_. It was pretty obvious to everybody that Chase was born to be a Xiaolin Dragon. He was fawned over and praised a lot, which didn't bother me much until he started getting cocky about it. Long story short, we were training one day, much like the exercise today, and he mouthed off. I got annoyed and before anyone knew it we were on the ground punching the daylights out of each other. Well, Chase punching _me_ mostly, but I got a couple of good hits in. There were some other times, too, but not as brutal as today."

Tala was slack-jawed. "He does that," she said hollowly, "he seriously does that."

"Not sure if that was a question," answered Dashi, "but yes. Not often, though. Something has to set him off. Which reminds me: Do you have any idea why Chase would snap like he did today?"

Tala's heart skipped and heat rippled up her spine. "Why do you think that _I _would know?" she snapped, blushing.

"I don't know," Dashi joked, "maybe because he's the only other person aside from me who knows about your magic and talks to you on a regular basis. I've gotta admit that the two of you spend a lot of time together. More than either of you do me and Guan, anyway. He's bound to have said _something_."

"_Cén fáth_?" she grumbled, "_Cén fáth, dom_?"

"What are you saying?" Dashi asked, his mouth twisting up into a confused smile.

Ancestors help her, the boy was rather handsome when he was confused. Tala sank into herself when Dashi leaned forward, his smile broadening. She sucked in her lips and bit down on them, leaning as far away from him as possible.

"Come on," he laughed, smiling widely, "tell me what you said!"

"_Ní le do thoil breathnú ar dom mar sin_," Tala squeaked, flustered and frustrated when he came closer, "_ní féidir le mo chroí a chur air._"

She was thankful that Dashi was sitting on the bench and could not come any closer, though he towered over Tala just the same. Dashi laughed.

"I can't understand a word you're saying," he told her, "Not that I could hear you if I did, anyway."

"I-I," she stammered with a strained voice, "I'm sorry. I sometimes get mixed up when I'm-"

Looking at Dashi's face again was a mistake. Tala immediately locked her eyes onto the floor, heat stinging her face enough to burn. Even her magic began to react, turning her hands to fire. They prickled, like pins and needles. She rubbed them together, focusing on her heartbeat, praying that the taste of orange would not find its way into her mouth.

'_Slow down_,' Tala willed her heart, squeezing her eyes shut, '_slow down_.'

Dashi leaned away quickly, his shadow disappearing from over her. Tala opened her eyes and slowly uncurled herself. She saw that Dashi was frowning.

"I'm sorry," said Dashi quickly when their eyes met, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. I wasn't trying to scare you, I promise. I'll give you space."

"Oh, no, no, I-" Tala cut herself off when Dashi looked away, rubbing his knuckles on his knees.

For the first time, Tala noticed that he looked a bit nervous; guilty, even. Red kissed his cheeks and trickled down his neck. She turned away too, embarrassed that she had made him feel sorry.

"It's not your fault, really," she explained, twisting her fingers together again, "If I get flustered enough, I sometimes forget."

"Where did you learn it from?" asked Dashi, though he kept his eyes averted from her.

"My Papa," Tala answered, "He was never very good at our tongue, so whenever I was with him I spoke his words."

"You spoke with him a lot, then?" asked Dashi, a hint of a smile taking hold of his mouth again.

Encouraged, Tala tried to smile too. "The year before I came to the Temple, I often went with him while he gathered cooking wood in the forest. To pass the hours, we would sing songs and he would tell me the old stories of his home. Most what I learned of his tongue is from them. I dream in it sometimes. I dream of him a lot."

Tala's heart dropped to her knees when she realized what she had almost said. Her magic reacted and the heat of it shot up her arms as if it were a startled cat. The sudden silence settled between her and Dashi like a wet cloak, draping over Tala's shoulders.

Dashi took a deep breath and asked, "Your father sang with you?"

"Yes," said Tala. The quietness of her voice hung in the air, straining to push out the awkward silence and Tala's heartbeat crept up on her again. She held her breath, scrambling to find proper words.

However, Dashi spoke first, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have teased you."

"No," Tala reassured him, "I shouldn't have been so-"

Dashi's glare cut her short, and he said, "Please stop apologizing. Let me take responsibility for my mistake. You did nothing wrong."

Tala sucked in her lips again and rubbed them together. She fought against apologizing for fouling his mood.

"But I," said Tala, swallowing the dryness in her throat.

Dashi gave her a warning look. Tala had decided to move on to another subject.

She took a breath and offered, "I _do_ know why Chase might be upset."

* * *

Chase bit into the apple with a satisfying crunch. His steps left prints in the fresh snow dusting, brown grass ovals springing up in their wake. Though his body was cold, Chase's face beamed with the warmth of an accomplished and clever smile.

Night had fallen after the hour had passed and he had assumed that Dashi was still resting in the Medicine Suite. Moreover, he had hoped Tala would still be there too. Chase was satisfied with himself and the speech he had thought up to impress her.

He would walk in looking sorry, possibly even throwing in a tear or two for dramatic effect, and ask Dashi for his forgiveness. That wouldn't be too hard, so long as Chase would promise to let Dashi get him back with a right hook or two. That was usually Dashi's price.

Fortunately for Chase, Dashi considered him his friend enough to not fully deliver the payback. And better still, if Tala were there to see their touching reconciliation, the playful banter between him and Dashi could very well be enough to place Chase back into her good graces, and he would be right back on track to learning her secrets.

He approached the Medicine Suite with a hopeful grin, drawn in by the inviting glow that beckoned him from the windows. Chase decided to sneak up to the window to peek in and see if Tala was still there, if she had stayed at all.

She was! Straight beneath him, in the corner beside the window, Tala was sitting in a chair. Chase whipped himself away, flattening his back against the building, and hissed with delight, clenching his fist. Things had fallen perfectly into place, for him. Now, was his chance.

Chase turned, to walk toward the entrance, but Tala's voice stopped him.

"We were summoned by Grand Master Wei yesterday," he heard her say.

He flattened his back again, straining to listen as her voice softened: "The Grand Master had reprimanded us," said Tala, "and he was hard on Chase about what had happened."

Then came Dashi's voice just as quiet, "Was it about your magic?"

Chase's heart skipped a beat. Dashi _knew_?

There was a short pause, then Tala finally said, "Yes."

"Why would he be hard on Chase about that?" asked Dashi.

"Chase has been helping me to improve my physical skills," she whispered, "He's a very good teacher and very patient. More than I thought he'd be, actually."

The shyness in Tala's voice made Chase blush with pride. Maybe he really did still have some hope.

"But, the other night while we were training," continued Tala, "he suggested that I channel my magic through the movements he was teaching me, and I-I, I got nervous_._"

Chase smirked at the awe in Dashi's hushed voice when he said, "I _knew_ that wasn't thunder."

"I wish it was," Tala's voice was just barely a breath; heartbreaking to hear, really, "It's my fault that this all happened. If I had just done as Chase told me, the Grand Master would not have said that Chase was-"

Tala stopped talking. Chase snuck another glance over. She was holding herself together, but making a poor job of it. Tala's chin quivered and tears slid down her cheeks. Her arms rattled like tree branches caught in the wind.

Chase's heart sank watching her writhe, but he couldn't look away. '_Just don't do anything stupid, Tal_,' he silently begged her, '_You know what happens when you get too upset._'

"Are you okay?" asked Dashi.

Tala nodded her head, and her entire body seemed to fill with air when she sighed.

"_Tá brón orm_," Tala's voice was as thick as porridge and in a language that Chase could not understand. She swallowed and said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't be crying. I shouldn't be saying anything."

"What did the Grand Master say to Chase?" asked Dashi, leaning toward her.

"That Chase wasn't good enough," answered Tala hesitantly, "for the Shoku position. He-he said that he would look for someone else,"

Tala looked horrified, nearly disgusted. "And it's my fault," she whispered, "Chase looked bad in front of the Grand Master because of me. And you got hurt because of me. Chase wouldn't have been so angry, if-"

"It's not your fault," snapped Dashi, "Don't you dare say that again. Chase looked bad because he _is_ unworthy. This isn't the first time he's messed up while the Grand Master has been watching and it won't be the last."

"But,"

"No," Dashi interrupted Tala, "Chase is hasty and reckless and prideful. There is nothing that you could have done that would have prevented him from hitting me like he did. This is not on you and if he ever makes you feel that way, I'll break _his_ arm. Chase needs to take responsibility for himself. Stop taking on blame that does not belong to you."

Chase backed away from the window before either of them could see him.

"I can't believe this," he growled.

Chase walked away, following the dimly lamp-lit path toward the Dragons' Housing Suites. Of course she would confide in Dashi of all people! Of course she would trust _him_!

And, what was this about blaming her? _Nobody_ was blaming her! Dashi was just filling Tala's head with lies, and that little idiot was just eating them all up! If Dashi thought he was getting an apology from Chase now, he could forget it.

"Responsibility my ass," said Chase as he stood alone on the darkened path. He looked up into the sky, watching as the clouds passed overhead, revealing the twinkling stars. His breath climbed up toward them, curling and disappearing before reaching their goal.

Chase sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. A slick-backed bang fell forward when he took his hand away. He glared and blew at it, but it just fell back down into his face.

"Rough night?"

Chase turned around and turned back again, but was unable to find the strange voice that had called out to him. It had a strange ring to it, a twang that Chase had never heard before.

"Down here, boy,"

Chase took a step back when he saw what the owner of the voice was: a talking bean. It was standing upright on its own and glared at him with red eyes, tinged by yellow sickness.

"_What_?" he whispered to himself, thinking that perhaps that apple was a little too ripe.

The bean smiled, rancid teeth ripping across what Chase had assumed was its face, though the horrible display took up more than half of the bean's supposed body. "The name's Hannibal Roy Bean," it said, "Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Chase pushed the bang back atop his head when he slid his hand over top of it. "This isn't happening," he mumbled, "I've been poisoned."

"Yes, you _have_ been poisoned, Chase Young," said the strange and horrifying little creature, "Not by food, but by the words of your Masters. Your friends, too, if I may be obliged to judge by what those two children were talking about, in that room, back there."

The little bean spoke with a slow drawl, the likes of which Chase had never heard, strung like a bow chord and released in a crawl, like the spiraling fog upon the hills at dawn. It was hard for him to follow the strange entity's words and blinked while trying to register their meaning.

"Poisoned," Chase echoed, "by my Masters."

The bean, 'Hannibal Roy Bean,' it called itself, nodded. "We should talk somewhere where others won't listen," it said, "Would you be so kind, as to pick me up so we can chat?"

By pure shock alone, Chase obeyed and knelt down to offer the creature his open palm. "We can go to my apartment," he suggested, "I don't get many visitors and supper is in two hours, so I won't be missed until then."

"Plenty of time to talk, then," chirped Hannibal, "You know I've had my eye on you for a while, son, and I must say that you are quite the _talented_ young monk."

Chase smirked, both surprised and pleased in spite of the strangeness of this encounter, "Yeah?"

"Oh, _yes_," answered Hannibal with a decaying smile, "and we have so much to discuss."

-0

**AN: I'll leave some translations for you guys, since it's just occurred to me that you'd probably appreciate that, as Tala uses Gaelic, in certain situations, and you'll be seeing it on more than several occasions, so:**

"_Cén fáth_? _Cén fáth, dom_?"- Why? Why me?

"_Ní le do thoil breathnú ar dom, ní féidir le mo chroí a chur air._"- Please don't look at me like that, my heart cannot take it.

"_Tá brón orm_"- I'm sorry

**I hope my Gaelic is alright. It's not my first language, and I've been trying to learn it. I've done research on it, as well, on Irish blogs and credible translators. It's a beautiful language, and I can at least (attempt to) learn it. I'm so horrible at the pronunciation of everything, haha.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade. **

_Ten_ Trust_

Tala paused, her closed fist hovering over the door. She pulled her hand away again, for the third time within the minute, and stood there, wobbling on the backs of her heels. Taking a breath, Tala rested her knuckles gently against the wood, and listened for any signs of life beyond the door.

Chase hadn't come to supper. Normally, he was so eager to eat; it was his favorite thing, next to sparring. What Chase had done to Dashi that afternoon must have really gotten to him, she figured.

Tala struggled with her thoughts, noting Chase's behavior of not coming to the meal, as strange. She tried to reason with herself, that Chase's disappearance at supper was nothing to feel too alarmed over. After all, Chase may simply not have been feeling well after snapping, like he did.

However, Tala knew Chase as one to cover up his guilt with a joke and a smile, whenever he found himself at fault, and would save face by acting playful. He was not known for sulking in the shadows for any reason. If anything, Chase would continue to strut around, as if nothing was wrong.

Then again, breaking Dashi's shoulder was more than just an insensitive slip of the tongue, or an overstepped boundary. Chase had really _hurt_ Dashi. Of course he had to have felt some shame of it, enough, to avoid his friends.

Tala took a deep breath, forcing her racing thoughts to grind to a halt. She was done arguing with herself, and wanted to give Chase the benefit of the doubt, despite that persistent trickle of mistrust constantly dripping into a puddle, at the back of her mind.

Tala knocked, timidly, and called out, "Chase? A-are you awake?"

There was no verbal response, but in the silence, Tala heard what she had thought to be murmuring and the scraping of wood shutting against wood.

"_Chase_?" she called again, a bit more loudly, leaning close to the door, "I wanted to see if you were-"

The door opened. Chase smiled down at Tala with that playful grin he always wore, after knowing that he had done something wrong. Upon seeing it, heat shot up through Tala's heart and into her face. She folded her arms, instead of fulfilling the urge to punch Chase square in his annoyingly perfect teeth.

"Hey, Tal," he chirped, "What's going on?"

"May I come in?" she asked.

"Aren't you afraid of what people will think?" Chase teased, folding his arms as well, and leaning against the doorframe.

Tala bit the inside of her cheek, to keep from yelling at him. The pain of it reminded her burning hands that Chase was an ally, and did not deserve to be tossed into the air again, no matter how horribly insensitive he was. The tingling on her tongue obviously did not understand the message, so Tala bit down on the taste of orange at its tip, and blinked away the water filling her eyes.

She ducked under Chase, crawling through the space between him and the frame.

"I wanted to talk to you," Tala explained, as Chase closed the door, behind him.

Chase met her stare, and the smile on his face faltered. His eyes darted away, staring at the hand he still had rested upon the door.

Chase looked as though he was about to say something, as his lips were slightly parted. He had let out a light sigh, but Tala spoke first. "Before you try to explain anything," she told him, nearly losing her nerve, "I need you to know that there is nothing you can say that will make me forgive you, for what you did to Dashi."

"Listen, Tal-"

"No," snapped Tala, "_I'm_ speaking, now. _You_ listen. You _broke_ Dashi's shoulder, today, Chase. You hurt him! Don't you understand that? I came here to see if you were alright, thinking _stupidly_, that you might have at least one speck of decent remorse, but instead, I found you smiling! This isn't funny, okay? This isn't something you can just brush off with a joke!"

Tala could hardly breathe. She wrung her hands together, willing the fire in them to calm down. No matter how hard she rubbed them, Tala could not stop shaking. "I d-do not know _what_ is wrong with you," she stammered, as her throat began to close, "but, that doesn't mean you can just _attack_ people, like that!"

"Tala, calm down," said Chase, growling, through his teeth, "You're making a scene. Do you _want _other people to hear you? Do you want them to spread rumors, as to _why_ you're sneaking into a man's apartment, at night?"

"_Ní féidir liom cúram_!" Tala yelled, "_Déanann gach duine ar spraoi de dom chun é, ar aon nós_! I'm sick of you acting like you can just say and do whatever you want! I never wanted to be your friend, and now I know exactly why! You are manipulative, and rude, and- and, _horrible_! You think your pretty smile is all that you need to get people to like you, and that you can just trick them into becoming your friend, but you can't! You just can't! That is not how friendship works! That's not how _anything_ works!"

As Tala caught her breath, she watched Chase's eyes change, with horrifying clarity, from the harsh sternness of a glare, to the open and empty look of sadness. Her heart choked on its own beating, when Tala realized what she had just said.

"I'm sorry," whispered Chase, quietly, and dead-eyed.

"Oh," Tala squeaked, "Chase, I-I, I didn't mean it. I'm just-"

"No," Chase interrupted her, looking away, "you didn't say anything wrong. You said it all right, in fact."

Chase walked past her, toward his mat, and knelt down. "I actually feel horrible for what happened," he said, "so I planned on giving Dashi something, to help with his shoulder."

Chase pulled something from beneath his mat. Folded into a neat square, was an embroidered sash, a brilliant bright blue. He unfolded it, and held it from arm-to-arm, by the white tassels of the ends that were sewed to the cloth, by black and yellow beads. The middle sagged down to just below Chase's knees, and shimmered as it swayed freely.

Chase smiled at Tala, genuinely. "Surprised?" he asked, "This is the same sash I used, when I broke my arm, three summers ago."

Sheepishly, he looked to the floor and folded it back up, draping the sash over his arm. "I hadn't come to supper because I was looking for it," he explained, with a flush to his cheeks, "I didn't want to apologize to Dashi, until I gave it to him."

Tala blinked, as icy regret and embarrassment traced her spine. Her throat felt so dry, that it was closing. "That," Tala whispered, struggling to push her voice out, and into something audible, "it's beautiful."

"Yeah," said Chase, handing it to her, with his eyes averted, "but, it doesn't excuse how I've acted. I don't really expect Dashi to forgive me, just yet."

Tala rubbed her thumb over the smooth beads, watching the cloth catch light, with a bright sheen. "I still don't either," she said, "but I am sorry for yelling at you… I shouldn't have called you those things."

Chase placed a hand on her shoulder. It was so heavy, and so sudden, that Tala jumped. Though she tried to unwind her shoulders, she could not relax. Chase picked up Tala's chin by his thumb and forefinger, to make her look at his face.

"But, you weren't wrong," he said, softly, "I _have_ been horrible, especially to you, and I'm truly sorry for it. But, I promise from now on, I'm going to make things right."

Tala's breath caught against the tightness of her throat, as she looked into Chase's eyes. They were beautiful. She had always thought that they were, but there was something about the way they flickered under the candlelight that raised gooseflesh on the back of Tala's neck.

Chase's eyes were gentle and soothing, but they also held a remarkable danger to them. The chilling and haunting way they seemed to glow reminded Tala of a campfire. And, like a campfire, the honey-amber held a promise of something magically deep, mysterious and strange, full of stories and laughter. Tala could not tell if this was a good thing.

Tala backed away, half a step, and Chase let her chin lift itself from his hand as she staggered away from him.

"I don't trust you," she whispered, "I'm sorry, Chase, I just can't."

"I know you don't," answered Chase, his soft eyes and smile regarding her sympathetically, "I'm not stupid, Brave Girl."

"I never said-"

"I've noticed, for a while," Chase interrupted her, gently, "the way you look at me, like I'm always about to hurt you. I've seen that for a year, now."

"That's not it at all," Tala insisted, "I know that you would never hurt me."

"You don't have to lie," murmured Chase, doing his best, but failing, to hide the sad quiver in his voice, "you're scared, I get it. I would be too, if I watched my mom die."

Everything stopped. Tala's breath, her heartbeat, her thoughts.

Chase and Tala stared at each other, Chase, with a half-hearted smile, and a glossy sheen to his eye, and Tala, as blank as everything else inside of her. All Tala could do was grip the sash, tighter and tighter between her fingers, with each passing second and each quickening breath.

"I know that you didn't want anyone to know," Chase told her, his smile shaking, "but I heard you calling for her, in your sleep. You always cried about a fire and a stake. You mentioned, once, that your mother told you about magic dealing with emotions, so I put two-and-two together and took a guess… She was a witch, too, wasn't she?"

"_Nuair_?" snipped Tala, feeling her fingers worry through the thinning fabric, "... I mean, _when_ did I speak, in my sleep?"

"Nearly every night," he answered, "Every time I had to watch you sleep, you cried for her. I woke you up, most nights but, sometimes, all I could do was watch. I thought you were possessed, the first time you started to cry. It was a little frightening to see you, flailing and begging to not be thrown into the fire with her."

Tala felt something inside of herself snap off, and fall to the floor. With it, came tears. "Those men took her," sobbed Tala, "They came looking for me, but Papa hid me away, in his firewood cart. _Theastaigh siad dom chun é a dhó, freisin_! They wanted me dead! I didn't do anything wrong! Mama did nothing wrong! She was just scared! She fought back, _toisc go raibh sí ach scanraithe_! She did nothing wrong! She did noth-"

Chase caught Tala, when she fell to her knees. Tala felt everything drain from within her, as she screamed and cried, into his shoulder. "It's not fair," she wailed, her anger muffled by Chase's clothes, "I want them back! I want them both back!"

Tala, curled her fist, still clenching the sash, and with the last bits of her energy, weakly hit Chase's shoulder. She was angry at him for unleashing that in her, and angry at herself for allowing it. Tala kept hitting until her arm hurt too much from the strain of keeping up a rhythm, but Chase still held on. He hugged Tala tightly, whispering into her hair.

"Shh," Chase soothed, "shh, I'm here. You don't have to be scared, anymore. I won't let anyone hurt you. I'm here."

Tala roughly pushed him away. Chase fell back, and the two stared at each other, sitting on the floor. Tala glared at Chase, harder than she had ever thought possible, and sucked in breath through her teeth. "I don't want you to," she told him, seething, "I do not need you to save me. I just want to stop feeling so afraid!"

Her anger was all that Tala had to keep her from breaking down, again. She hated feeling so vulnerable, so naked, especially in front of Chase. This boy was half of the reason that she had felt that way, and Tala was determined to keep herself aware of that.

"You are the last person that I want to keep me safe," she whispered, wringing her burning hands, and swallowing the orange that flared on the tip of her tongue, "I could almost hate you, you know."

"I know," said Chase, echoing the emptiness in her voice, "but that doesn't mean I can't keep trying to get you to trust me."

His words sounded far away, and foreign. Tala could just barely understand them, as weariness began to take over her mind and send a haze across her eyes. "I don't think I can," Tala warned him, as she uncurled herself, slowly.

"I don't, either," admitted Chase, sadly, "but, what I do know, is that I care about you. I want what's best for you, Brave Girl, which is why I have to say this: I think I know the reason why you can't trust me."

"We aren't talking about this," snapped Tala, "I'm tired, and I don't want to listen to your whiny voice, anymore."

If he had taken the insult, Chase didn't show it. Instead, he continued his theory; "You're afraid of being hurt," he insisted, "You saw a bunch of men tie your mother to a stake, and burn her alive. Your father abandoned you, here, at the Temple. Any contact that you've had with men, from that point on, has resulted in some sort of backlash, especially with my dad and the Masters."

Tala ignored him, and wrapped her arms around her middle, squeezing herself tightly.

"You're skittish about everything," Chase continued, aggressively, "and you're constantly looking over your shoulder, like you've done something wrong. Every time anyone touches you, you jump, and every time you speak, you're so quiet, like you're afraid of attracting too much attention. You can't just expect to live the rest of your life, terrified of every single person that's around you!"

Tala covered her ears, trying to block out the truth in what Chase spoke, "_Stad_!" she ordered, "Stop! I don't want to hear it!"

"No, you have to hear _me_ out, now," Chase argued, "All I've ever done is try to help you. You push me away, because that scares you. You won't let me get too close, because you're afraid about being wrong about me. Admit it, it's easier for you to mistrust me, to make me your scapegoat for everything _bad _that you feel, than it is to actually be vulnerable for once in your life, right?"

Tala pretended not to hear him, squeezing her eyes, tightly.

"Tell me I'm wrong," snapped Chase.

Tala squeezed her eyes even more tightly, and curled into her knees, trying to block Chase out. "_Stoptar suas_," she begged, mewling, "_Nach rá go_!"

"_Tell_ me I'm wrong," Chase repeated, angrily.

Tala could not. He was absolutely right. She hicked, trying to catch her breath, but made it worse. Tala touched her forehead to the floor, focusing on the dark spot in front of her eyes, so that she could focus on breathing, and let the sash fall from her fingers. It spiraled to the floor, like a coiled snake, where it lay.

Tala felt the heavy warmness of hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry," she heard Chase whisper into her ear, huskily, "I can't imagine the pain you're in, but it isn't fair to me, if I keep letting you blame me for how you feel. I'm sick of how you treat me, like your enemy. All I want to do is help you, Tala."

Tala shook her head, still unable to speak. Her chin quivered with the words she wanted to tell him, to beg for Chase's forgiveness, especially for this. Chase gently reached his arms around her, and lifted Tala up from the ground, by her forearms. He hugged Tala, while she sat there, resting his chin in the crook of her neck. Tala tensed.

"I really am sorry," he offered, quietly, "I never wanted to make you hate me."

Too tired to push Chase away again, Tala let herself relax, and felt his head grow heavy, as she sank into him. Tala sighed, and so did he.

"Are we done being mad at each other, yet?" asked Chase, the breath of his chuckle tickling the part of her neck, that was exposed by her braid.

To be done with this miserable night, and simply because she did not know how to answer him, Tala nodded her head. She hoped that Chase would let go, but he hugged Tala just a little more tightly, instead, pushing his face into her neck. The tickle sent shivers down her spine.

"Are we friends?" he asked, so very quietly.

Tala swallowed the desert in her mouth. "Can I trust you?" she whispered.

Chase smiled; Tala could feel the heat of it through the collar of her robe. He let go, and stood, picking up the sash at Tala's feet as he did. Tala watched him through tired eyes, deciding that, perhaps, her initial instincts _were_ wrong about Chase Young.

But…then again, "You didn't answer my question," she accused, hoarsely.

Chase smiled, and held out a hand, to help Tala onto her feet. "You didn't answer mine," he retorted, with a shrug.

* * *

"I shouldn't have pushed it," Chase growled, as he paced beneath the willow tree.

The night was bitterly cold, and clawed at Chase's face ferociously, slashing red across his cheeks and nose. "I should have just given her the sash, and let her leave," he insisted.

"Trust me, boy," said Hannibal, smiling, as he looked up at Chase from one of the tree's exposed roots, "your little chickadee will come, tonight, don't you worry."

Chase glared at the ugly little thing, as it implored him to listen, flashing its rotted teeth. He wanted to stomp on it.

"You don't know that!" he snapped, "You did _not _see her freak out, last night! I'll be surprised if Tala ever wants to see me again! The plan could be ruined because I took your advice!"

"You've exposed the girl's weakness," said the bean, with its slow, and strangely comforting, drawl, "You've reduced her fears to something that seems easy enough to control… with your help, of course. You even managed to put doubt into the little Air monk, toward her own instincts about _you_. Nice touch, by the way. I could not have done any better, if I should say so, myself."

Slightly embarrassed, Chase looked away, happy that the air was cold enough to cover up his blush. Chase rubbed his arms, trying to warm them. "I was only doing what you told me to do," he admitted, "Not that it _worked_. Tala still doesn't trust me. I don't know if she'll teach me anything, now."

"Oh, don't worry," Hannibal reassured him, with a wave of one of its tiny tentacles, "she will. After all, even if the chickadee doesn't _like_ you, there _is_ something to be said about that closeness you two shared, last night."

"Closeness?" Chase snapped, feeling heat shoot up his back, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

The bean rolled its eyes, folding its tentacles in the comedic mockery of human arms. "_Mnhhmn,_" it said, pressing its mouth into a thin line, "I watched you from the window, boy. Please, do try your best not to lie so _blatantly,_ to my face."

Chase ran his fingers through his hair, and turned his back on Hannibal. He played with the mended bump in his jacket's sleeve, trying his best not to fidgit.

When this was over, when he got what he needed, Chase planned on explaining everything to Tala. He just hoped that she would be able to forgive him, when the time came. He just needed her magic, just enough of the skill and knowledge of it, to win over the Grand Master's approval, and take his rightful destiny as the Shoku Warrior. Chase just wanted to be sure that Grand Master Wei could never threaten to take the position away from him, again.

"Chase," said Hannibal, breaking him from his thoughts, "I do have _another_ way, to get that girl to let her guard down. And, thanks to your little stunt, last night, you just might win her over."

Chase looked at the bean, eyes wide with disbelief, and just a tiny pinch of hope, "How?"

The creature smiled, showing its horrendous teeth, again. The sight of it made Chase's back tense with disgust. It was all he could do no to visibly shudder, when Hannibal Bean chuckled.

"Tell her the truth," it said, with a shrug. Winking one of its sagging, tired eyes, the bean added, slyly, "After all, you can't argue with truth, now can you? Tell your chickadee _exactly_ what she needs to hear; tell Tala _why_ you need her to teach you about magic."

"I'm trying to get Tala to _trust _me," Chase growled, "not hate me!"

"And," said Hannibal, deepening its horrible grin, "that is exactly what you'll do. You'll just have to be a bit vulnerable, is all. You know, like how you made her feel, last night? It's just a bit of an exchange, in give-and-take, is all. She showed you, you show her. _Get_ it?"

Chase rolled his eyes. "How exactly does that work?" he snipped.

"Tell the girl what you told me," advised the bean, "Let the chickadee know about the _pressure _your so-called Grand Master puts on you. Spell out that little sob story of yours, and she'll be eating out of the palm of your hands before you can snap your fingers."

"It's not a _sob _story," said Chase, defensively, "I just-"

Hannibal Bean folded its tentacles, again, and give him a look, "_Mmmhmm._ What did I just say about lying, boy?"

"So Grand Master Wei's hard on me," offered Chase, with a shrug, "but, I'm not some weak crybaby, whining about his life. I just want to make the old man get off of my back, that's all."

The bean chuckled, and hopped off of the root, disappearing from Chase's sight. "Well, now's your chance," he heard Hannibal say.

"Where are you-"

A touch on Chase's shoulder cut him off, and he whipped around to see Tala staring up at him. Her silver eyes were wide and shining. The color popped against her dark skin, reddened by the cold night, making them look larger than usual. "Hi," she breathed, quietly.

"Your hair's down," he muttered, taking a step away.

"It's always down when I practice magic," said Tala, with a cute little huff, "You always make fun of me, for it."

"I know," said Chase, rubbing his arms, "I just... I didn't really expect you to come out, tonight."

"To be honest," Tala clipped, "I almost didn't. But, I need to practice. I hate to admit this, but I fare much better at doing it, when you're around."

Tala's strange accent added a trill to her words, with a light and airy puff. She wrapped the giant sleeves of the coat she wore around herself, and sunk into the large collar around her neck. Tala really _was_ like a chickadee, especially in that oversized, brown jacket. Chase smiled, at the thought.

Chase watched as Tala went through the first cycle of motions, regulating her breathing, and switching into an opening stance.

"Look, Tala, I-"

"No talking," Tala said, whipping her head around to, glare at him. She turned back, following through with the next movement, and after a rounded exhale through her mouth, said, "You are only here for training. That's it."

Chase whistled behind his teeth, and ran his fingers through his hair. A bang fell in front of his face, but he ignored it. Chase touched Tala's shoulder, and she spun around, her black hair whipping the air. She blocked his hand with her own, locking their wrists.

Tala's glare was fierce. It sharpened the edges of her face and, though she still held the roundness of innocence at her cheeks, Chase could see the woman that she would become, through the way her eyes shone with anger. They were nearly as white as the moon.

"If you want to comfort someone, go talk to Dashi, in the Medicine Suite," she hissed. There was such a thickness to her brogue, that Chase could just barely understand the words Tala spoke, "If you want to help me train, prepare for a spar."

Great, there would be no reasoning with her. Chase smirked, and did as Tala asked, gliding into the horse stance, still touching wrists with her.

Tala kicked up her leg, to pull Chase's arm down, but Chase was quicker, and parried it with his opposite arm. He sent it back down, and pushed her middle, to give himself some room. Tala staggered back, and Chase seized the moment, to grab her by the wrist.

He yanked Tala forward again, intending to knee her in the gut upon the return, but Tala blocked his knee with a flat palm. She twisted, again, attempting to kick him. Tala nicked his side, but was unable to follow through with the full blow, thanks to Chase's more advanced speed.

Chase went for her face, as her shorter size gave him the advantage of a downward strike, with the heel of his palm. Tala blocked it and struck Chase's ribs, using her own size to take the upper hand. The force of her punch sent Chase onto his back, and into the snow.

Tala ran at him, without pause, and Chase let her, so that he could swipe at her feet with his legs. Tala toppled with a shriek, and as she fell, Chase hopped up, using his arms as a springboard. He was back on his feet before Tala hit the ground.

Chase stood over Tala, smiling confidently, as he watched her catch her breath. She lay on her back, with her arms sprawled out, whining angrily for being tricked. Chase kneeled down, and rested on Tala's feet. He leaned his elbows on her knees, chuckling.

"You _so_ aren't ready for the Apprentice rank," he said, "Dad was right; it's going to take years for you to just master the basic forms. I almost feel sorry for you."

Chase laughed, as Tala struggled to talk and quickly gave up, wheezing between breaths.

"What was that?" he teased, "You need to do some pushups? To build up your stamina? Okay, give me fifty crunches."

"_Okay_," Tala managed to breathe. She tucked her hands behind her head, and pulled herself up. "One," she said, dropping down, then returning back up, "Two,"

Chase chuckled, when she stuck her tongue out, the second time. However, she rushed back up, upon the third.

"THREE," Tala headbutted him with a painful thunk. Both cried out, and immediately held their faces in their hands.

"Son of a-" Chase cried into his hands, along with some very colorful curses, "I think you bruised my forehead!"

Tala only laughed, as she held her own face, rolling on the ground. Chase glared at her, through his fingers.

"You _chittering_ little monkey," he seethed, "Don't think I won't kick your scrawny butt, again, for this."

Through her tears and gasps of giggles, Tala spoke her strange language again, pointing at Chase, as if he were some hilarious oddity, "_Ba chóir duit a bheith le feiceáil go bhfuil cuma ar d'aghaidh_!" she cried.

"You're lucky that I can't understand that," Chase grumbled, rubbing his forehead, "Are we even, now?"

Tala sat up, pushing her bangs back from her face. "I suppose so," she told him, between recovering huffs of breath, "For now, anyway."

"Joy," Chase hissed, rolling his eyes, and smoothing his bang back into his hair, "Do you want to keep beating the crap out of each other, or do you actually want to practice magic, tonight?"

"Actually," said Tala, narrowing her eyes, "If I'm going to be honest, I didn't really come out tonight, _just _to practice."

Chase was intrigued. "Oh, _really_?" he asked, raising a sly eyebrow, "_You_, wanting to do something _other_ than practice magic? Now, this I _must_ hear."

"Why did you attack Dashi, like you did?" Tala asked flatly, folding her arms.

Oh. Chase nearly panicked, as his heart dropped into his stomach. He darted his eyes around, and felt his tongue grow numb, while he struggled to find the right words.

But, wait, this was exactly what Chase wanted! He needed a way to talk to her about Grand Master Wei, and Tala had just paved the way, herself! This was perfect!

Chase met Tala's eyes, tightening his mouth into a thin line, and mentally prepared himself. He needed to do this perfectly, in order for Tala to trust him, again, but Chase was a little less than enthusiastic about opening up.

"Do I _really_ have to do this?" he asked, but the look on Tala's face told him that, in fact, _yes_, Chase _had _to do this.

"_Okay_," he said, upon a breathy exhale, "Do you remember that day the that Grand Master talked to us about your magic practice, and how I… _wasn't_ a good leader, for it?"

"Yes," said Tala, averting her eyes, suddenly softening her glare into something a bit more sympathetic, "I remember you looking upset, about it."

"Yeah, well, it got to me," Chase confessed, "No matter how many times he threatens me, it's always the same. I get into a mood for a couple of days, and I get set off. The tiniest things throw me, and I can get into a rage, when I'm not careful about it."

Tala's eyes flashed straight back to him, their angry white again. "That is no excuse to _hurt_ people," she growled, thickly.

Chase raised his palms. "I know," he said, soothingly, "and I'm not all that proud of what I did to Dashi. I hate it when I get like that, actually. I don't like to lose control, much."

Tala looked away, again. Either she was angry with him, again, or the dead leaf lying in the snow beside her was more interesting than their conversation. Chase could visibly see Tala's jaw clenched, as she held herself just a little more tightly.

"I guess they don't call the Fire monk the 'Keeper of Passion,' for nothing, right?" he offered with a small laugh, trying to get Tala to look at him again. She didn't. Tala kept staring at that stupid leaf, stubbornly.

"Let me explain," Chase begged, " _Please_? Just look at me, Tal."

When she wouldn't, he let out a sigh. Oh well, it was now, or never. Chase knew that he was going to regret this, but:

"All my life," Chase said, "I've been told that I'm destined to be the next Shoku Warrior. The Masters, especially Grand Master Wei, tell me every day that I am blessed with my gifts, as a prodigy, and that I'm lucky to be such a natural at everything we do. But, with that '_great_' gift, comes a curse: I have to constantly make high marks, and keep beating my own records and everyone else's, in order to ensure that this dream Grand Master Wei has set up for me will become a reality. One slip up, and everything I've worked so hard for will come crashing down. It's just a little too much pressure, sometimes."

Tala was still avoiding him. She unwrapped her arms from around her middle, and curled her fists, resting them upon her knees. Chase thought that he could see Tala blush, but that might has well have also been from the nippiness of the winter's night.

"Try to understand," said Chase, quietly, "I've been pushed, my _entire_ life, to be perfect. You may have been forced to hide for your gifts, but I've been forced to stand in the limelight for mine. Don't get me wrong, I love the attention, but it's hard to see if anything I do is really worth it. I keep reaching, and digging deep, and going hard, yet I don't even get one positive word from the people assessing me. Not even my own _father_ can tell me that my hard work is paying off."

Chase turned away, feeling his cheeks burn. His eyes hazed, too, stinging with anger. His jaw hurt from clenching it, but Chase kept on going, no matter how painful it was. "Master Young just keeps pushing me, and pushing me," Chase snapped, "I can do literally everything in a set perfectly, but if I place even one _toe_ out of alignment, he points it out, and focuses on that one wrong mark, instead of _everything_ else that I've gotten right."

"I'm sorry," he heard Tala whisperer, just a breath above the wind.

Chase knew that he had gotten his point across, but he couldn't let words kept coming, and Chase couldn't stop. "These _people_," he nearly shouted, "they don't understand. They need me to be strong, to protect them, but when I'm holding everyone else up, who's there to hold _me_ up? Why do _I_ have to carry everyone else on _my_ back? I'm just a _human_, Tala, I can't do it! I never wanted to be the golden child! Fame, yeah, that's great, but I never _asked _for this! I just want, for _once_ in my life, to feel like my role as the Shoku Warrior is standing on solid ground!"

"Chase," Tala said, a little more loudly, "I understand; you can stop-"

"_Do you_?" Chase shouted, "You act like I don't know what it's like to be afraid, looking over your shoulder every day, and wondering what torture is going to befall you should you make one _little_ mistake, but I do, Tala! I'm terrified that I'll wake up one day and no longer have this path in front of me! If becoming the Shoku warrior was all that I was born for, then what the hell am I supposed to do, if that gets taken away from me? I'd rather kill myself, fighting for this so-called _destiny_ that everyone's pushing me toward, than to wander around without a purpose! It's a fate worse than death, to me! You aren't the only one fearing for your life, here, okay!?"

When the echoing of his voice settled, like the dying wind that rustled the bare branches above them, Chase realized, by the stinging cold biting at the corners of his eyes and down his cheeks, that he was crying. He hiccuped a wet sigh, and rubbed the back of his neck, his fingers meeting the heat that crept up his spine, and warmed his ears.

"That's why I wanted to learn your secrets," he admitted, "I just want to feel safe, secure. I believe that learning magic can help me to have something to hold onto, so I won't have to keep feeling so unstable."

Chase shyly lifted his gaze, praying that Tala wasn't actually looking at him, but she was. Sad and open, Tala stared at him, with rounded, silver eyes. They were brightened by the shining of her own tears.

"It's okay if you hate me," he just barely managed to croak, "but you, at least, now know the truth. I'm sorry for trying to use you. I was just scared-"

Tala leapt up, and wrapped her arms around Chase's neck.

"You're an idiot," she whispered, squeezing him tight. Her brogue was thick, and full, "You should have just told me."

Chase hugged her back, letting himself sink into Tala's shoulder. "It's more complicated than you think," he mumbled into her coat.

Tala didn't say anything, but Chase sensed that she probably understood what he meant, when she rested her cheek against the top of his head. Tala pulled away, and stared down at Chase with tired eyes. "I still don't forgive you," she murmured, "That was a horrible thing to do, and no sort of explanation can change it."

Chase swallowed the stone in his throat. "I know," he whispered, staring up into her large, miraculous eyes, "I'm not asking you to."

Chase looked down, and with a shrug, added, "I don't expect _him_ to, either."

"You don't much _like_ Dashi, do you?" asked Tala. Chase winced at the question, realizing that his voice had sounded just a little too harsh, before she had asked.

"Yeah, _no_," Chase admitted, looking at Tala, again. His face was open, and his own eyes round and wide, "No, I don't."

"Because of what he told you," asked Tala, flatly, "before you broke his shoulder?"

Chase sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair. He grinned up at her, sheepishly. "He never had to," said Chase, "but, yes."

"Wow," Tala mumbled, "For once, it seems, you're telling the truth."

"You aren't going to ask _why_ I dislike baldy?" Chase snapped, covering the flash of anger with a smile.

"No," clipped Tala, "That's not any of my business. Besides, I'm tired. You look exhausted, as well. I think we should cut this off early, before we start trying to hurt each other, again."

Chase paused for a second, counting, to keep his anger in check. His eyes flicked back up to Tala's and through thin lips, he said, "Fine."

Chase pushed himself to his feet, and realized just how tall that he towered above Tala, when she stood so close to him. The top of her head just barely met his mid-chest. Chase snorted, and rested an elbow on the top of Tala's curls, against her tiny "Hey!" in protest.

"Well, if we're calling it quits, for the night, I should at least…" said Chase, slyly. He wrapped her head in a chokehold, and dug his knuckles into Tala's scalp, before she could duck out from under his arm, "give you a parting present!"

Tala yelled and struggled, but laughed all the same. "Get off me!" she cried, "Let go, you snot!"

He let go, and she darted away, giggling and groaning with pain. He laughed, as Tala recomposed herself, rubbing her head and catching her breath.

"Payback," Chase said, with a grin and an outstretched shrug, once she looked at him again, "it's a bitch, I tell ya."

Tala kicked snow at him, yelling, "Get outta here, you!"

"I'll see you, tomorrow," Chase sad, with a wave over his shoulder.

'_Good_,' thought Chase, as he walked down the winding path, toward the Warrior Suites, '_At least tonight has gone right. Maybe tomorrow, Tala will actually begin to trust me, and I can finally start getting what I want_.'

* * *

Tala stood in the cold, waiting for the sound of Chase's footsteps to die down, further along the path. It was easier to be rid of him, than she thought. Chase had done most of the work for her, tiring himself out, like that.

Her heart and stomach ached at once, so suddenly, that cramps shot up Tala's back and steeled it. She shuddered, feeling the cold wind blow straight through her jacket and sting her already aching bones.

"I don't know _what_ to think," she growled to herself, aloud, answering the voice in her head that nagged her her, teasing Tala with questions about Chase's ulterior motives. Her head raced with thoughts and memories, assessing everything Chase had done over the course of the past year, "I'm not sure if I can trust anything of what he says, at all."

Not that she ever did.

"What do I _do_?" Tala cried, throwing her arms into the air. She spun in a circle, with frustration, holding the sides of her head to starve off the sudden wave of a headache, "I can't just-"

Tala stopped, when she noticed something odd at the wall crack. A green light flickered, illuminating the crack, as a strike of lightning would. Tala narrowed her eyes.

"Great," she muttered, "of course."

* * *

**AN: ***_**The Breakfast Club**_ **theme plays somewhere, off in the distance* "**_**You're so conceited, Tala, you're so conceited**_**!" Anyone else feel that vibe, during Chase and Tala's conversations, or have I just been watching too many 80's movies, recently? **

**Not-so-witty references to cult classics aside, Happy New Year!**

**Gaelic Translations-**

"_Ní féidir liom cúram!_"- I do not care!

"_Déanann gach duine ar spraoi de dom chun é, ar aon nós!_"- Everyone makes fun of me for it, anyway!

"_Nuair_?"- When?

"_Theastaigh siad dom chun é a dhó, freisin_!" They wanted me to burn, too!

"_toisc go raibh sí ach scanraithe_!"- because she was just scared!

"_Stad_!"- Stop!

"_Stoptar suas_!"- Shut up!

"_Nach rá go_!"- Do not say that!

"_Ba chóir duit a bheith le feiceáil go bhfuil cuma ar d'aghaidh_!"- You should have seen the look on your face!


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade. **

_Eleven_ Skeleton Leaves_

Wuya was smiling when Tala had finally caught up with her. Tala ducked below one of the lower-hanging branches along the path, pushing it away from her face carefully, to keep it from tangling with her hair.

The effort was futile. The tail-end of her curls were snagged when Tala righted herself. She cried out, which only earned an annoyed pucker of down-turned lips from her aunt. Wuya, leaning on a boulder a little further down the path, snapped her fingers.

The branch, as fluid as a ribbon, unwound itself from Tala's hair. Tala jumped away from it, wary that she might get tangled again if she kept standing so close.

"That boy you were flirting with was cute," commented Wuya, as she inspected her nails.

Annoyed with both Wuya and the branch, Tala untied the yarn from to her wrist and began to pull her hair back, huffing, "That wasn't flirting. That was combat practice."

Smugly, Wuya smiled, folding her arms and lifting her chin. "Kid," she said, "you have got _a lot_ to learn about men."

"Chase isn't interested in me," Tala dismissed, winding the string around the end of her braid, "He teases me, but that's it."

"Teases?" snorted Wuya, "For a boy his age, that's practically a proposal."

"That's hardly appropriate," Tala clipped, rolling her eyes, "I am not eligible for marriage, anyway. Why would anyone-"

"You'll be eligible next year," Wuya pointed out, "You hardly look it, but it's true. You're growing up fast. Nearing thirteen, already. I wouldn't believe it, if I hadn't kept track all these years."

Tala groaned, "_Why_ are we talking about this?"

Wuya smiled, straightening herself. She pointed at Tala with a wink, saying, "Just wait until the family hips grow in. You'll see, he'll be dripping through your fingers like melting snow. They'll only get bigger when you have kids, too. Trust me, that's the one part of our bodies that won't stop growing."

"Can we just start the magic lesson," Tala begged, her own throat strangling itself, "_please_?"

"Fine, fine," said Wuya, waving off Tala's discomfort as if it were a stink in the air, "follow me."

Wuya strutted away from the path, delicately landing each step on silent tip-toes. Tala saw her as a cat, especially with the way her aunt's hips swayed with confidence and how her toes left such odd, small intents in the snow. Restraint was held within each step, keeping Wuya's advancement through the forest underbrush, as quiet as the cold breeze that played with Tala's bangs.

Tala, however, had yet to master her own feet. Fallen twigs and leaves, still unburied by the snowfall, cracked and rustled beneath her clumsy boots.

"Keep quiet!" Wuya hissed over her shoulder, "If that boyfriend of yours followed you, then you're making it far too easy for him to track us!"

"It's not my fault that you're taking me through such thick brush!" Tala hissed back, the shock of embarrassment scratching at her throat, "I can't navigate as easily as you can!"

"You're just lucky I can't smell him," Wuya snapped, with a grumble, "Even if we are family, I would kill your little boy-toy before you could even open your mouth to stop me."

"That's nonsense," Tala said, "And, he isn't my boy-"

Tala's nose collided with Wuya's back so suddenly that her neck hitched. She rubbed at its soreness, glaring right back at Wuya, who turned on Tala with a frown.

"We're here," the witch told her, a snarl crinkling her nose, as if she had just bitten down on a sour grape seed.

Wuya held her arm beneath a curtain of tangled vines and lifted it away. A wide creek, rushing with a current fast enough to not be overtaken by ice, ran between where they stood and where the rest of the forest lay. It was the barrier between the Xiaolin Temple and the foothills of the Three Hills. Though the forest wood was thick, Tala could see the beasts lifting their three black heads, just beyond the treeline. The mountains shrouded the lands beyond the winding trees.

Boulders and fallen skeleton trees lined either side of the creek. A slab-like boulder, in particular dipped down the slope, reaching its slender neck down into the rushing water. The white rings at its top-most notch showed just how high the current would come during the rainy summer season.

For now, though, the current sank to nearly half of the bank's height. Tala even saw a couple of clothes baskets, carelessly left by a Temple maid or two, still lingering on top of one of the lower-laying boulders that was wedged within the dry dirt wall. Just as flat as the large marker boulder, it looked much like an open fan.

Tala remembered using that very same rock as a base to sit upon, without getting herself too wet, while washing clothes. The maids always came down here, as she often had with Jia, to clean their aprons. However, Tala and the other maids had taken the walking path farther down the bank, cleared and beaten by centuries of footprints left by the hundreds of thousands of women before them.

"We should have taken the walking path," Tala told Wuya with an underwhelmed grunt, "It would have been easier to make our way, instead of getting tangled in the brush."

"Easier?" asked Wuya, "Easy gets you killed, Tala. Never forget that."

She stepped onto the bank first, leaning out of the shadows, much like a doe listening for a predator. Tala stood back, waiting until Wuya waved her out, still keeping a cautious ear to the trees.

Tala joined her, wrapping the brown cloak tightly around her arms. She shivered when the wind rushed through. "How can you stand this?" she asked, pulling the hood over her ears.

"Don't tell me you're cold," said Wuya, purely surprised.

"You aren't?"

"Not normally, no," Wuya admitted, lightly, "I guess you're more human than I thought."

"Thank heaven,"

"I wouldn't do that, if I were you."

The solid sullenness in Wuya's voice caught Tala's attention. She looked up at Wuya, whose eyes were still scanning the opposite treeline.

"Why?" asked Tala.

"Because," Wuya answered, "talking to heaven is what got us into this mess to begin with."

She stepped forward, and left Tala to knit her eyebrows together with confusion.

"_What?_" Tala whispered, but Wuya was already at the edge of the bank, holding her arms outstretched before her. Tala looked up to watch her. but was too preoccupied by what Wuya had said, to really be paying attention to what she was doing. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"You don't remember the old stories?" Wuya called over her shoulder, "Shi-Ahn should have at least told you the origin of our clan."

"She told me about the first Matriarch, but-"

Wuya groaned. "Come over here," she ordered, "and I'll tell you."

Tala grumbled to herself as the wind blew through her cloak again, and marched over, reluctant and bitter.

"Sit down, kiddo, because I'm about to tell you a story," said Wuya, as Tala crossed her legs beside her, "Long ago, back when the Three Hills were still just a handful of pebbles, a woman was about to give birth."

Wuya shifted her feet and arched her wrists, clawing her fingers like rigid steel.

"What are you doi-"

"Do you want to hear about our clan's history, or not?" snapped Wuya, "besides, you'll see soon enough. Shut up and pay attention. Maybe you'll learn something."

Tala bit her cheek hard enough to taste iron, and straightened her back.

Satisfied, Wuya continued, "The pregnant woman cried out, begging and pleading with the gods to help her. But, no matter how hard she pushed, the baby would not come. Finally, she became too weak, so she called to Heaven, saying: "I would do anything for my son to be born! I would even die, for him! If he lives, let him be pale and ugly, let him be weak and small, let him be poor! I don't care! I would take him, anyway! I do not care if he lives a thousand lifetimes, or only a day! Let him be born, and let him be mine! " But, still, no baby. The midwife prepared for the mother's death, and opened the window beside her so her soul could leave freely. But, it was at that moment that heaven answered."

Wuya paused and looked down at Tala from the corner of her eye, wearing a slight smile.

"You're waiting for me to ask, aren't you?" Tala clipped, unamused.

"Just humor me, kid."

Tala rolled her eyes, sighing, "What happened?"

"Two stars fell, one into each of her eyes," said Wuya, "It brought life back into her and, finally, with her new strength, the mother gave birth. The baby was born, but not as a son. The mother was gifted with a girl. The child was born with one eye as white as the moon and the other as green as summer. This is the birth of our race."

"Yes," murmured Tala, "I remember. Mama told me something like this, once. The mother hated her baby. She called the little girl a monster."

"No, not the mother," corrected Wuya, "The midwife. When she saw the baby, how dark her skin was, and how red her hair, the old woman became horrified. She begged the mother to leave the baby on the windowsill, to let her freeze to death in the cold night, but the mother kept her promise to heaven and refused. She named the child Xiao Xing, meaning 'Morning Star,' the symbol of our clan."

Tala lifted the leather strap from around her neck and held her mother's heavy pendant in her palms. The metal was warm, from being so close to her body, and was a relief to her freezing hands. The eye-like ruby shimmered.

"My mother called me Morning Star," she whispered, rubbing her thumb over the ruby.

Wuya looked at her, green eyes wide and sparkling. "Did she?" she asked, "Did Shi-Ahn really call you that?"

"Yes," Tala clipped quickly, looking back at the pendant as the wind sliced down her back, mixing the embarrassed heat with a slash of unforgiving cold.

Wuya was quiet for a moment, but went on, "As Xiao Xing grew up, and the heaven's gift within her grew, she performed such wonders. It was said that Xiao Xing was so powerful, that she held the very universe at her very fingertips. Because of this, the old woman was not the only one to fear her. All of the others in their village despised Xiao Xing, and the only comfort she could find was in her mother's arms. But, as all little girls come to find, there is a time when we no longer cling to our mothers, but long for another's arms to embrace us. However, there was not another like her, anywhere."

"But there was," said Tala, with a sigh, "From the islands in the south, a man came. He had magic same as she, and eyes as golden as the sun."

"I knew Shi had told you this story!" laughed Wuya, beaming.

"He took her away from her mother," Tala growled. She had always hated this part, whenever Mama told her, "He forced Xiao Xing to be his bride, and made her hide in the caves of the high mountains and bear his children."

"No," said Wuya, "He set her free. Xiao Xing saw her opportunity, and took it. She and her man had to hide, to save themselves and their children from the villagers that wanted to destroy Xiao Xing and her offspring."

"That was not how Mama told it," Tala argued.

"Well, Shi was never a fan of sorcerers," admitted Wuya, with a grumble and a shrug, "Rather, she wasn't really a fan of men. Can I tell the story, or are you going to keep complaining about how your mother told it?"

Tala rolled her eyes and leaned her chin into her palms, huffing.

"Xiao Xing gave birth to four boys, each named for the seasons: Chūntiān, Xiàtiān, Qiūtiān, and Dōngtiān," said Wuya, "They fought quite a bit, as boys do, until their games turned to bloodshed. No one knows the true reason why the brothers became such bitter enemies. Some say that a woman was involved, and others say it was that a deer had gotten away during a hunt, but even their parents were split between them in the feud. Xiao Xing took the sides of Qiūtiān and Dōngtiān, while her husband took the side of his elder sons, Chūntiān and Xiàtiān. A war was fought between them so intensely, that the villages below their mountain were washed away in the floods and buried in the rockslides that flowed from their anger. The land there became desolate, and nothing survived."

"It's said that the war was what caused the northern lands to become a void," added Tala, "Mama called it 'Nowhere.' Not even the seasons can change, there. The magic caused far too much destruction. It poisoned the land."

Wuya nodded, saying, "Xiao Xing, after one hundred years of fighting with her own family, decided to end it. She sent her youngest son, Dōngtiān, to give a message to his eldest brother, Chūntiān. Dōngtiān had been injured, and was weary from battle, so she had hoped that Chūntiān, and their father, would take pity on the boy and accept her terms."

"What were they?"

"To come home," said Wuya, "That was all Xiao Xing wanted. She had grown old and tired, and wanted her sons to reconcile and find wives, to start families of their own."

"I know the rest," said Tala, "You don't need to tell me."

"Are you sure?" asked Wuya, "Because, it sounds an awful lot like Si-Ahn changed half of it."

"Dōngtiān never returned, so Xiao Xing killed her two elder sons, and her husband, in retaliation," Tala answered, "and she began a new life with her other son, marrying him off to a girl from his father's old clan. Then, so on and so on, until she had many grandchildren and great grandchildren to look after."

"I knew she'd butcher it," sapped Wuya, "I swear, sometimes Shi-Ahn could be such a pain. That idiot always projected her bitterness into things, but I never thought she'd slaughter our own history."

Tala's hands began to burn. Everything within her seized up, becoming rigid. Fire rippled up her spine. Her hands curled, and her teeth clenched. Tala rushed to her feet.

"Stop talking about my mother like that!" she demanded. Her throat felt raw and dry, as she began to yell, "I'm sick of you saying these things! I don't care how you felt about her, but she was my mother, and _your_ sister! Give the dead some respect!"

"Alright, alright," cried Wuya, defensively holding up her hands, "Calm down there, rice mouth, we have enough problems when I _can_ understand you."

Tala bit her tongue, waiting for the orange to subside, and glared down at the pendant in her hands. She poked her thumb with one of its jagged points, watching the metal arc make a dimple in her skin.

"Look, Tala, I'm sorry," said Wuya, "I know you have this big, dreamy image of your mom, but Shi-Ahn was not at all like you think she was. Shi-Ahn was a total narcissistic b-"

Tala's glare cut her off, and the two stared at each other in the darkness. A cloud passed over the moon, casting a shadow over Wuya's face. Her eyes glowed under the shadow, odd as it sounded, and their intensity caused Tala to look away.

Wuya sighed, and turned back toward the creek. "Well," she said, "Now you get to see what I've been doing. I'm going to teach you how to project your magic onto objects."

Tala's heart fluttered. "How are you going to do it?" she asked, rubbing out the fire in her hands.

Wuya smiled, bracing herself. "Take a good look," said the witch, "Lesson one: Make sure your object is readily available."

The ground began to shake. Tala clung to Wuya to keep herself standing, when her knees buckled beneath her. Out from the depths of the creek-bed, rose a stone. From under that stone came another and another, all connected, and all a part of the same terrifying beast that roared to life.

Tala fell onto her backside, watching the spectacle with awed silence. The rock giant towered above them. It glowed from the inside out, its life force fed by the same green fire that sprang from its mistress's hands.

The monster smiled down at them, green ooze dripping from its mouth. The creature dropped a knee to the ground, nearly shattering the bank of the creek. The frozen earth cracked beneath the pressure of the giant's weight.

Soil-black spiderwebs crawled up to Tala's toes against the white snow, threatening to open their mouths wide to swallow her whole. Tala scrambled away from their reach, swallowing a scream.

"KEEP IT AWAY FROM ME!" she cried.

"What is the _matter_ with you?" clipped Wuya, grabbing on to Tala's arm. She yanked Tala to her feet, saying, "Stop sniveling. You're embarrassing me."

Tala ripped her arm away, but kept her eyes on the beast swearing fealty before her aunt.

"Those things," Tala stammered, swallowing her heart back down her throat, "those things kill people in the most terrible ways! I've seen it!"

"Then, it's a good thing he's on our side," Wuya told her, a toothy smile pricking the corners of her mouth. She stepped forward to greet the rock giant. "Futou," she said.

Tala guessed that 'Futou' was the beast's name, because it lifted its head to stare at Wuya with soulless eyes. The vacant look on its face reminded Tala of the creatures from her visions. A flash of memory, that of a woman being eaten in half by the rock giant, ran red across her eyes. Her vision swam, and nausea filled her gut, rushing in.

"It's good to see you, again, old friend," Wuya told the creature, lightly stroking the crease between its eyes.

Futou smiled, the action creating the most horrendous grating sound, as the rocks that made up its face ground together. Tala winced, covering her ears. The effort did nothing to block the hair-splitting sound.

"It's grotesque!" hollered Tala.

"He's perfect," corrected Wuya, flatly, "and my go-to man when I need a job done. I'm going to teach you how to create one of your own."

"Send him away," Tala begged, "I can't look at it without wanting to vomit!"

Wuya rolled her eyes, and waved a harsh hand at the beast. He disassembled in an instant, and the rocks that had once made up his body tumbled into the creek. Water splashed violently up the bank, lapping at the snow and brown grass like a famished dog.

It wasn't until the forest had once again settled itself, that Tala felt as though she could breathe again. Her stomach was heavy and warm, acting as if she had just swallowed down three bowl-fulls of porridge. She clutched at it, feeling faint, but altogether relieved that Wuya's pet was gone.

"Happy now?" snapped Wuya, "You're lucky that I don't need to waste too much energy in summoning him!"

"I'm sorry," Tala hissed through her teeth, swallowing both the bile and pride that crept up her throat.

"You should be," said Wuya, "I almost have half the mind just to send you back without teaching you anything, tonight."

"No, no, please!" Tala panicked.

Wuya gave Tala a look, her arms folded and eyebrows raised. Realizing her mistake, Tala recomposed herself with a gulp of air and a shaky smile.

"I didn't mean to offend, truly," Tala said, bowing, "Please, Mistress Wuya, teach me how to create animate objects."

"Better," clipped Wuya, harshly, "Stand up straight. We have work to do."

Tala did as she was told. She fidgeted, trying hard not to roll back onto her heels. Her heart began to thud, and she rubbed her burning hands together, trying to rid them of the sweat that began to accumulate on her palms.

Wuya turned her back on Tala. She bent low, and dug into the snow.

Tala tried her best to look over her aunt's shoulder, but whatever Wuya was doing was obscured by the folds of her thick, red curls. Wuya stood, brushing off whatever was in her palms. She turned back to Tala, presenting her hands. A pile of leaves rested there, all brown and shriveled up.

"Pick one," Wuya instructed.

"You have got to be kidding me," Tala grumbled, as nausea climbed her throat, again.

"Do you want to learn," asked Wuya, "or not?"

Wuya's face was placid, waiting for Tala to make her choice. But, when Tala went to pluck the curled leaf at the top, Wuya snapped, "Not that one."

Tala went for the one under it but, again, Wuya disapproved: "Nah,"

And, again, "No."

And, once more, "Nuh-uh."

Tala snatched her hand back. It burned with dry heat, anger brimming at her fingertips. She bit the inside of her cheek, glaring at Wuya's stupid leaf pile.

"Pick," ordered Wuya, offering the leaves again.

"I can't," Tala objected, "You keep telling me not to choose them."

"That's because your choices are wrong," Wuya told her, "I'd personally go for the big red one."

"Fiiine," Tala whistled, pushing the word out from between her teeth with her tongue.

Tala gently took the leaf up by its little brown stem, and slid it out from under the others. She held it up for Wuya to see, raising her eyebrows.

"_Happy_?" she clipped, thinning her lips.

Wuya shrugged. "Hey, don't ask me," she answered, "It's your object."

Tala pressed her lips together and closed her eyes, reminding herself that she hardly had enough skill yet to take the witch out on her own.

"So, what do I do?" she asked, praying that the dry heat in her hands would not set the leaf ablaze.

"Whatever you like," answered Wuya, "You just need to be brave enough to let yourself have it."

"That doesn't make sense," Tala objected.

Wuya put a finger to Tala's lips, winking one of her green eyes slyly. "Magic is selfish, Tala," she said, "That's why it's so powerful. We use it to fulfill our darkest desires: glory, money, love, health, youth, control. No matter what you're trying to use it for, there is always that one string attached to magic that reminds us of our own self-preservation."

"Surely not everyone who uses magic do it for their own benefit," Tala argued, "I don't want to use magic for anything. I just want to be able to control it."

"Yeah," snipped Wuya, "to save your own skin."

"That's not fair," Tala insisted, "I'm just trying not to hurt people!"

"Only," added Wuya, with a triumphant swell in her voice, "to keep the humans from fearing you and putting you to death. Don't bother denying it, kiddo. There's no shame in protecting yourself."

But, there was shame. Tala's spirit sank, her shoulders with it. She looked at the leaf in her hand, biting her lip. Was controlling her magic really as selfish as Wuya claimed that it was?

"People either fear it or crave it, which is why magic is such a dangerous thing," Wuya told her, solemnly, "Use it for yourself, or someone else will come along to take it from you. Or, in your case, they'll destroy you for having magic before you have the chance to explain that you won't hurt them."

Tala stayed silent, letting the truth of her aunt's words settle. Her heart seized itself, as the cold realization of that truth took the shape of thoughts. Tala's throat tightened, catching her breath with burning claws.

She could feel her eyes widen with disgust, as she whispered out, "You're right. The only reason I'm alive right now is because Grand Master Wei thinks I can use my magic to return that which the Xiaolin has lost."

"Humans are the most selfish creatures on earth," said Wuya, her face stoic, "Their sense of self-preservation overwhelms every other tie they have. It's surprising that they have yet to kill themselves off with how quickly they turn on each other to save their own skins."

"You and Mama took away the Xiaolin's magic," said Tala. She looked back at Wuya, feeling a small glimmer of hope. She asked, "Is there a way to return it?"

"You don't want to, kid, trust me," assured Wuya, for the first time since Tala met her, looking worried, "The minute you tell the Grand Master, and he realizes how futile that cause would be, he'll kill you."

"No, he won't," Tala said, her heart fluttering, "I'm still the Monk of Air. They still need me to complete the Cycle."

"They've been without the Air Monk for three hundred years," Wuya reminded her, grimly, "You're not that special."

"But, the Dragons have been vulnerable and weak without their fourth member," explained Tala, "Both Grand Master Wei and Master Young have told me that my role is vital to keep the Dragons at full strength, since my being chosen completes the Elemental Cycle. Guan is teaching me how to read, using the recorded history of the Xiaolin Dragons. I've seen, myself, just how much more vulnerable they were with only just three. "

"Whatever," scoffed Wuya, "My answer is still no. I promised your mother that I would train and protect you, not serve you to Wei on a silver platter."

Frustrated, but not about to give in, Tala decided to play one of Wuya's own tricks against her. With a sly smile, she sang, "Providing me with vital information is a _form_ of protection. If I do get caught, and they decide to kill me, I could hold this over their heads."

Wuya smiled back, appreciation tucked into the corner of her mouth. "You have a point," she clipped, with a hint of amusement.

"So, you'll tell me?" asked Tala, her mouth spreading into a hopeful smile.

"Magic lesson first," said Wuya, "If you do well, I'll tell you as a reward."

"You said to let myself have what I want," said Tala, refocusing her attention on the leaf in her hand, "What did you mean, exactly?"

"Look at the leaf," instructed Wuya, "What do you see?"

Tala held it up to her face and twirled the stem, slowly, between her fingers. "A leaf," she admitted, dryly.

"No," snapped Wuya, "You're seeing the leaf for what it _is_, not for what it could be! Try again, and this time, focus!"

Tala stared at the leaf, squinting. She twirled it again, this way and back, but still only saw a leaf and nothing more. Frustrated, Tala looked at Wuya, squaring her jaw.

"You _must _be Shi-Ahn's kid," groaned Wuya, tossing her hands into the air, "No imagination."

"Hey!" protested Tala, when Wuya snatched the leaf from her hand.

Wuya held it in front of Tala's nose, saying, "Look at how it's shaped! Look at the color, and how the veins spread out! Look at the size of it, and how sharp the edges look!"

Tala leaned away. Her eyes hurt from having to adjust to looking at the tip of her own nose. She instead focused on Wuya's face, allowing the leaf to blur into a red mass.

Tala frowned, matching the frustrated bend in her aunt's slender eyebrows and sharp disapproval of her green eyes. "It's a _leaf_, Wuya," Tala snapped, "There is nothing else that it can be!"

"It's a weapon!" cried Wuya, "_Anything_ can be a weapon, if you decide to cram enough magic and imagination into it! Now, hold out your hand and treat it like one!"

Wuya shoved the leaf into Tala's chest, and Tala snatched it back before it could fall to the ground.

Tala held the leaf with both hands, glaring holes into it. "This is idiotic," she insisted.

"Just try it."

"Fine."

"You're not doing anything," said Wuya, after a minute had gone by of Tala glaring at the leaf.

"I'm _trying _to focus!" Tala cried, throwing her hands down to her sides.

"Don't focus," ordered Wuya, "Just do!"

Tala brought her hands back up and looked at the leaf again, shrugging off her anger and disappointment with a roll of her eyes and an uncomfortable shimmy of her shoulders. Her vision blurred, the more frustrated she became, until heat spilled from her eyes and froze half way down her cheeks.

"I can't," Tala whispered, her chin quivering, "I just can't see it."

Wuya growled and held out her hand. "Here," she sighed, "give me your hands."

Wuya's palm was heavy and warm, as she supported Tala's trembling fingers. Tala did not even realize that they had gone numb, until the warmth of her aunt's dry, hot skin shocked them back to life. The feeling was reminiscent to a cooking fire, and it danced beneath the protective layer of Wuya's skin like a living thing, careful not to burn Tala with its bite.

The smell of cinnamon wafted from Wuya's hair, warming Tala's insides as it filled her nose. The snow beneath them began to melt, revealing the black skeleton leaves and brown grass that were hidden by the white blanket. Wuya's green eyes were heavy-lidded and sleepy, focused on both everything and nothing.

Tala's own magic reacted. It sparked at her fingertips. She flinched with surprise, but Wuya's hand grabbed her wrist to hold her still. Her claws held pressure, but did not dig deep enough to break the softness of Tala's skin. The warm brown of Wuya's hand glowed with heat, calling Tala's magic to rise along with it.

Orange flooded into Tala's mouth, coating her throat and tongue with its tangy sweetness. It mixed with Wuya's cinnamon smell, complimenting each other, and feeding each other's energies. Tala was so entranced by the way their magic began to mix, that she just barely caught the whisper of her aunt's voice.

Tala's eyes flickered up to Wuya's, and the witch's eyes were as bright a green as the spring's first sprout of grass. They dug into Tala's face, waiting for an answer to her question.

"Will you choose its new shape," asked Wuya, a second time, "or shall I?"

"I don't know what to do," Tala croaked, as a new wave of cinnamon and orange crawled up the back of her throat.

Wuya looked back down at their hands, and said, "I'll choose."

She sucked in breath, a solemn pucker to her frown, drawing in the very essence of the earth around them.

"A fan," Wuya called out, "picture one in your mind, and let go."

Tala closed her eyes. Her heart fluttered, and heat jumped up and down her arms, like fish swimming against a current. In her mind's eye, though she could just barely see it, Tala pieced together a red fan, adorned with gold, larger than both of her palms.

Tala's fingers were on fire, twitching when painful pins dug under her nails. Her palms began to sweat and burn, but she could not move, not while Wuya held her. The cinnamon was so strong in her nose, that Tala began to choke. The taste of her own magic turned against her, the orange gagging and strangling her throat and chest. The acidic sweetness mixed with the rich cinnamon so strongly, that Tala thought she would retch. Her knees buckled.

"Let go, Tala" cried Wuya, over the ringing in Tala's ears, "Let go!"

Tala dropped the leaf and threw herself to the ground, heaving. She coughed up whatever mixture of taste still lingered, though the smell of cinnamon still held her nose captive.

"Tala," said Wuya, rubbing Tala's back, "Tala, look at me."

Tala lifted her face, still violently shaking against the upheaval threatening to double her over again. Wuya's smile was brittle, but the light of pride added a glow to her eyes.

The color of them, surrounded by the red of her aunt's curls, and the dark of her skin, reminded Tala of grass poking out of fresh earth just after it rains. They twinkled in much the same way, too.

"You did it," she said, voice swelling, "Look."

Tala lifted her trembling hands to receive what Wuya held out to her. Though folded, Tala could see the red of the fan poking out between two slender, long peices of polished, black wood.

"Open it," Wuya encouraged her with a toothy grin, and an excited bob of her head.

Tala's eyes darted up to Wuya, unsure, then back to the fan in her hand. She flicked it open, and had to stand on shaky legs, to take in the sight of the fan in its full glory.

It was just as Tala had imagined it: Suspended between two blocks of black wood, the fan was large, made out of fine red silk. Though plain, it was beautiful to her, and what the fan had lacked in design, it made up for in lightness of weight. A hardened tip of gold-plated iron lined its edge, slicing Tala's finger when she lightly ran one across it. Tala sucked on the small wound, but was unbothered.

"It _is_ a weapon," she whispered to herself. A smile slowly clawed its way across Tala's face. Excitedly, she turned to Wuya, holding her new creation close, exclaiming, "It's a fighter's fan!"

Wuya folded her arms and smiled smugly. "I told you," she gloated, "You just had to imagine it, for yourself."

"And, you have to do this every time you wish to summon Futou?" asked Tala, shivering as the cold seeped into her back, again.

"Ehh," Wuya said, shrugging, "It's not that bad. I'm used to it, and it doesn't take up too much energy."

"Speak for yourself," Tala complained, "I feel like I nearly died."

"At least you now have something to channel your magic through," Wuya teased, "so you don't have to keep blowing up walls."

Tala twirled the open fan on her finger, juggling it from one had to the other, to give herself a feel for it. Wuya snatched it, clipping it closed in her hand, saying, "Don't cut yourself. This is a weapon, not a toy."

Tala rolled her eyes, and slid the fan off of her finger. She inspected the wooden handles, lightly tracing the word that was etched into it: "Mine."

Tala smiled at the thought of it. Hers. This object was hers, and no one else's.

"Besides, it was your first time," Wuya continued, placing an uninvited hand on Tala's shoulder, "I should have warned you about mixing magic with another witch. Doing it unprepared can be a bit overwhelming."

"Mama's magic smelled like cloves, but yours is like cinnamon," mumbled Tala, fidgeting with her fan, and breaking eye contact, "Why is it different?"

"Oh ho, ho," cooed Wuya, laughing, "Were you disappointed that my magic wasn't like Mommy's? Poor baby. Well, I guess I should explain it, then. Everyone has a signature to their magic. It's an indicator to tell you if the other witch you're encountering is a friendly, or not. For example, my cinnamon is a pleasant smell to you, because I'm your blood relative. It's warm, inviting, and safe. If I wasn't your aunt, my smell would be off to you. Probably a bit more like sawdust. Not too far off from the cinnamon it's supposed to be, but just enough to tell you something may be wrong, and to stay alert around me."

"_What_?"

Tala's head began to spin. She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to rub away the headache that began to form above her eyes.

"A lot of us have the smell of spices, or soil, a campfire, _natural _things," Wuya explained, ignoring Tala's distress, "Even though Shi and I were sisters, her magical signature was different from mine. She always told me that I smell like cinnamon, but since we can't smell our own signatures, I was forced to believe her. Guess she was telling the truth, for once."

"I don't understand," said Tala.

"Okay," said Wuya, "I'll give you an example: Say, one night you come out here to find me, alright? Now, you catch my smell, cinnamon like always, but it's a little… _off_. Something about it, you don't know what, isn't right. That isn't my scent. It's someone else. They may have a hint of dirt to it, or charcoal, or maybe even some sort of flower at the edge of it. They might _smell _a lot like the cinnamon you're used to, but there will always be that one little thing that's added to it. That thing could be as big a change as overpowering wisteria, or as small a change as the light traces of soot. Either way, you will know that they aren't me. Scents can be similar, but none are the same. To you, I smell only like cinnamon, but to another witch unrelated to us, I could just as easily smell like cinnamon with a hint of autumn leaves, or a pit fire with a slight _afternote_ of cinnamon. It depends from witch to witch, really."

"I think I understand," Tala told her, hesitantly. She tried her best to imagine such a thing, but quickly worsened her developing headache, instead. "Can humans smell it, too?" she asked.

"No," said Wuya, "Lucky for us, or we'd have been hunted down and killed far more easily."

"Oh, good," Tala breathed, sighing with the relief of knowing that Chase would not be able to find them by his nose, if he ever were to follow her to Wuya's meeting place.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that," Wuya told her, lightly, "Even if humans _could_ smell magical signatures, they're so oblivious that they probably wouldn't even notice it."

"I have a question," said Tala, quick to speak before Wuya could change the subject, "If we can't smell our own signatures, why do I taste oranges in my mouth whenever I practice magic?"

"_Oranges_?" cackled Wuya, "How funny! I thought you'd taste smoke, since you smell very much like burning wood, yourself. Ah, well, goes to show how everyone's magic is different."

"What do you taste?"

"Me?" asked Wuya, fluttering her lashes playfully, "You are asking moi? I'm so surprised that you care!"

Before Tala could reply, Wuya answered her with a rather snide, "It's none of your business. But, if you _must _know, I taste apples."

Tala mouthed the word '_apples_' to herself, but Wuya ignored her. She tousled Tala's bangs roughly, adding, "Tasting magic is just our bodies' way of letting us know that something dangerous is going down, and that we should be aware of it, or risk getting hurt and feeling the much less _fun_ sensation of, say, breaking an arm."

"Stop that!" Tala cried, roughly pushing Wuya away.

Tala smoothed her bangs down with a grumble, while Wuya watched on, chuckling to herself. Tala glared at Wuya, puckering her lower lip. She took a deep breath, reminding herself, yet again, that Wuya could very easily overpower her should Tala choose to take her on.

"You said that if I did well with creating that fan, you would tell me how to return the Xiaolin's lost magic," Tala reminded Wuya, straightening herself out and plastering on a fake smile.

Wuya's smile dropped. "After all that excitement," she admitted, "I didn't think you'd remember."

"I'm persistent," Tala clipped as she settled herself onto the ground, folding her legs, "Keeper of Fortitude, and all that. I don't give up on the things I want too easily."

"That's called being stubborn," Wuya corrected Tala, wrapping her arms around herself, and joining her niece on the ground, "but, I'll give it to you."

"The answer," insisted Tala, slyly, "If you please,"

Wuya groaned, rolling her eyes. "_Fiiine_," she whined, "You win, I'll tell you."

Satisfied, Tala smiled.

"Don't look so smug," Wuya warned, sweetly cooing, "or I'll tear off that silly smile of yours with my bare hands."

Tala relaxed her smirk, but the warm feeling in her chest still tickled. Patently, she waited for Wuya to spill her secret, playing with the fan between her fingers.

"After your mother and I took the Xiaolin Dragons' magic," Wuya began her tale, "we cursed them: Only when all four of the Dragons sacrificed the one thing they held most precious to them, would magic be returned to the Elemental Cycle."

"Why curse them?" asked Tala, "Why give them that chance to redeem themselves, at all?"

"_Because_," Wuya answered, with a song in her voice, "your mother and I knew that they would never do it. Humans, at their very core, are a self-preserving race. Just like magic itself, they are inherently selfish. That's why humans were never meant to have magic to begin with. It's like throwing dry parchment onto a fire! Everything gets eaten up until nothing is left but the ashes. But, lucky for the rest of us, humans are consistent in their greediness. One will never sacrifice for the good of many, not if they can save their own slimy caracas instead."

Tala covered her eyes, as the sun began to blink its red eye at them between the trees. Her throat ran dry, and she leapt up, kicking snow around in her haste. "Dawn," squeaked Tala.

"Don't panic," said Wuya, rushing to her feet, alongside her.

But, Tala was panicking. Her heart raced, and sweat began to tug at the tightness on the back of her neck. She broke into a run, calling out, "I have to go! Stay hidden!"

"_You _stay hidden!" Wuya called after her, "And, if anyone sees that fan, tell them you found it in your stuff!"

Tala raced down the hill, practically leaping with joy, hope rising within her like the dawn that slowly climbed its way above the treeline. She had it! Tala had her answer, and she had her magic, and nobody was going to make her feel so afraid, anymore. Not while she had anything to say about it.

* * *

"That went well," a voice, slow as the crawl of the wind that rustled the leaves at Wuya's feet, murmured.

"She'll come around," Wuya assured him, keeping her eyes fixed on Tala as she disappeared through the brush, "Not everyone has a silver tongue like yours. Besides, Tala's no idiot. She understands that this is what's best for her."

"Your girl _is_ sharp, I'll give her that," said Hannibal Bean, with a chuckle, "Sadly, thanks to that, my faith in your abilities to turn her is shaky. If you can't handle Tala, I have a few ideas of _my own _to get the little chickadee to come to the decision we need her to make."

"And, they all have something to do with that little project of yours, I'm guessing," harrumphed Wuya, feeling a shiver run up her spine at the thought, "No chance. Tala'd never go starry-eyed for some pretty boy. She took more after me than she ever did to her mother, even _with_ her lack of imagination."

Wuya bent down, offering Hannibal her open palm. He accepted, muttering a "Much obliged," and hopped on. He brushed aside a lock of her red curls to make an open space on Wuya's shoulder to sit upon.

"She's stubborn," said the bean, chuckling while he settled himself, "but that doesn't mean she's like _you_."

Wuya puckered her lips and decided to change the subject, twirling a curl behind her ear on the opposite side of where the old goat was sitting. "What makes you think _he's_ the one, anyway?" she clipped, "You've been wrong, before."

"How are _you _so sure it's her?" whispered Hannibal, slyly, "Perhaps you're just feeling guilty. Fond memories getting the best of you, Wuya?"

"I don't do guilty," she reminded him, flatly, "Besides, the prophecy says that one born of the Heylin would be called to the Xiaolin side, and that kid's blood is as Heylin as they come. Trust me, it's her."

Feeling rather prickly, and in the mood to throw a jab, she added, "Your spoiled brat, on the other hand, is too reckless. There is no way _he's_ the other half of the prophecy."

"Best hope you're wrong, Wuya," the bean clipped, sounding rather prickly, himself, "Chase Young is a lot more aware of himself than he lets on, and is already showing signs of turning dark. I will hardly have to lift a finger, if you'll pardon my poor choice of analogies, to align the boy to our cause."

"I don't _care_ how corruptible he is," Wuya snapped. She felt restlessness tickle her ankles, and began to fidget on her toes. She decided to stretch her legs, and hopped onto a fallen log, tiptoeing across it effortlessly. Hannibal Bean's bird tailed them, weaving between the branches above Wuya's head suspiciously.

"That kid has _no_ business making eyes at my niece," Wuya added, as memories that she would have rather forgotten began to resurface, "It'll be like her mother all over again, and I'm not having it a second time."

Wuya jumped down onto the opposite bank, and watched as the Ying-Ying bird flew ahead of them, screeching after a stray bat that was unlucky enough to not find shelter in the approaching dawn.

"Chase Young is the closest we have _ever_ come to finding a monk powerful enough to complete the light-to-dark half of the prophecy," Hannibal insisted, slowly speaking to her as he would to a child, "He's far closer than your girl is to the light, anyway. _I'd _say she's more indifferent."

"I'd blame the Masters," Wuya said.

"They've pushed the girl away from their cause," Hannibal Bean told her, a hint of a warning in his slow drawl, "more than they've convinced her to be good. This is not a good thing, Wuya, and your darkening their name with all that talk of selfishness is not helping the matter."

"It doesn't matter _what_ Tala really thinks of the Xiaolin," Wuya insisted, fed up with the bean's chiding, "She's already a part of them. That's all the prophecy calls for. Besides, they've done half of the work for us. All _we_ have to do is convince Tala that helping us is what her mother would have wanted."

"And, telling her how to reclaim the Xiaolin's lost magic," clipped the bean, the frays of his oil-slick accent dripping with disdain, "is supposed to help us with that."

Wuya rolled her eyes, biting the edge of her words, "It got her to trust me, didn't it?"

"Making yourself vulnerable will have that effect, yes," he answered, solemnly, "But, you do realize that you have just made yourself a target for your enemies. If that girl talks-"

"So what if she does?" Wuya interrupted, quickly, "It's like I told the kid: humans are selfish. Not once will they ever sacrifice what they want for the sake of the collective, not when it means giving up their precious self-preservation."

"The perfect curse," mused Hannibal, appreciatively, "Too bad it won't work."

Wuya stopped in her tracks, curling her fingers when heat flashed through her hands. She sucked in breath, reminding herself, '_Not yet_.'

"How so?" she asked, whistling through her teeth. Wuya offered him her palm again, and brought him around to look her in the face, when she felt the weight of his tiny body dimple against her skin.

"Times are changing, Wuya," said Hannibal, his serious voice mismatching the cruel smile on his ugly, little face, "Magic is beginning to seep out of our hands and back into the ground. Nature's taking back what we've once borrowed from her. Your curse won't hold its effect much longer, even if the current Dragons can't break it."

"Why don't I believe you?" sighed Wuya, tilting her head to clear it of the sleep that clawed at the back of her mind.

"It'll stick for a few more centuries," Hannibal dismissed, with a wave of a tentacle, "but the rocks and the trees will swallow it up again, just as they always do."

"If that's true," clipped Wuya, "then what about the Xiaolin? The magic I stole is running through my veins, stronger than it's ever been."

"Newer energy has a longer lifespan," he insisted, with a snide upturn of his withering lips, "It'll last for two thousand years, at best. Then, you'll be just as mundane as those humans you hate so much."

"Not _likely_," snorted Wuya. How rediculous! The lack of sleep must have finally caught up with her for Wuya to have still had the mind to listen to this garbage!

"The humans are taking over," warned Hannibal, with the cock of a sneaky, hairless eyebrow, "The old gods and their children no longer have a place among them. Face it, the time of the witches, _your_ time, is over."

Fire rushed up Wuya's back and flooded her face. It steeled her shoulders into iron rods. "Who said that we don't have a place?" she spat, "_I'm_ still alive, and I'm not ready to give up just yet. I'll go down in flames, if I have to!"

"Oh, really?"

"I'll die fighting," swore Wuya, "but I'll take every last one of those Xiaolin morons down with me."

"That's mighty brave of you, Wuya, truly," said Hannibal, inspecting one of his tentacles nonchalantly, "But, if our assumptions of these two children are true, then many of us will lose our magic, and even our very _lives_, when this prophecy is fulfilled."

He looked back up at her, smiling coyly. "Are you prepared to lose the last of your family," he asked with a wide, disgusting smile, "just so you can see what the end of the world looks like?"

Wuya scoffed, shrugging her shoulders.

"_I_ have nothing to lose," Hannibal Bean reminded her, his face and voice darkening with frustration, "but you? Are you willing to let go of Tala when the time comes?"

"Please," she laughed, "_you're_ just trying to get me to chicken out so you can pick up the pieces without me. Not a chance, buddy. You're stuck with me. I'm seeing this thing to the end, whether you like it or not. I'm not some dumb kid that you can just hound with your mind games."

"I'm looking out for you, the last of your kind," stated the bean, false sympathy rounding out the vowels of his slithering, slow accent, "To think about it, it's almost poetic. A shame to ruin it, and get yourself killed.

"_Think_ about it?" mocked Wuya, placing Hannibal back onto her shoulder, "And, _what_, leave you to rule the world solo? I don't think so."

"No," the bean growled, "not _solo_."

"Right," clipped Wuya, unimpressed, "that friend of yours. Am I meeting this guy, or what?"

She pushed away some thick overhanging brush, and weaved her way through the tangles of the thorn bushes, unfaced by the snags in her dress and the scratches in her skin. "Some day soon, I hope," she added, grunting when she yanked free the hem of her sleeve that had found itself a very affectionate branch to cling to, "I'm getting tired of waiting."

"Not so soon, sadly," admitted Hannibal, "But, I'm preparing for his arrival as we speak."

"Is this 'friend' really as powerful as you claim he is?"

"Powerful enough to give me a new body," hummed Hannibal, "and you too, should you find yourself in a bit of trouble, later on."

"For your sake," clipped Wuya, unamused by his secrecy, "I hope that's true. That ugly mug of yours needs to go. Badly."

"Very funny."

"Hey, I'm not the one who messed up and had to possess a garden-variety vegetable," she said, shielding her eyes from the sun, when they broke into the clearing.

"I had powers of the likes that your pea-brain cannot even comprehend," Hannibal Bean's voice was as cold as the wind sending a flush into Wuya's cheeks, and the snow that nipped at the flat side of her feet, "and when I have a body again, I'll retest them on you! Show your elder some respect!"

"Operative word being _had_," Wuya reminded him, just as unimpressed by his threat as she was with this mysterious friend of his. "You're just as _mundane_ as the rest of 'em, Bean," she said, mocking him with his own words, "Guess the old gods really _are_ washed up."

"_Speaking_ of mundane," Hannibal whipped, quickly. Wuya felt a smile tug at her mouth, impressed by how fast the old goat could change his mood. Slithering on with his silver tongue, the bean said, quietly, "how do you suggest finding our way around the Xiaolin's Grand Master? He has his eunuch on our little proteges at all hours of the day. I'm honestly surprised that you, out of the two of us, have yet to be caught."

"Grand Master Wei's just a senile old man," dismissed Wuya, "I've been sneaking around here, night after night, without a single problem. All of these fools are oblivious."

"I'd give the old Master more credit than that, Wuya," instructed Hannibal, adding a thickened weight to his words, "Wei's warriors may be incompetent morons, but _he_ isn't. We aren't the only ones looking for the Crown and Pearl, you know."

Wuya's heart dropped, but she recovered it quickly, swallowing the dryness in her throat. "I'm well aware of that," she reminded him.

"Grand Master Wei is strategic," continued Hannibal, the smugness in his voice telling Wuya that he knew exactly just how uncomfortable he had made her, "He's placed your chickadee and my prodigy together for a reason. Do _not_ underestimate him."

"Aren't _you_ the one underestimating him, here?" snapped Wuya, curling her hands against the fire that begged to pinch him between her fingers and slowly squeeze the bean until he popped, "What about Chase? Shouldn't you warn him about what the Grand Master is doing?"

"No," Hannibal clipped cheerfully, " I'll wait a bit longer. I can use Wei's deceit to our advantage. Harden the blow, when the time comes."

The Ying-Ying bird swooped down, plucking Hannibal Bean from Wuya's shoulder in a rush of wind and feathers. He circled Wuya's head twice, before hovering above her. It was a daunting task for the bird as it hobbled up and down, struggling to stay aloft.

"I still don't see why we can't just fill them in on the plan," Wuya huffed, annoyed with herself for whining, but the suggestion still needed to be said, "It would be _so _much easier to get Tala to trust me, if I-"

"Tala will _trust _you," Hannibal Bean bit, like an angry dog, " when you establish a bond with her. Set your sights on getting the chickadee to trust you, first. Leave the timing to me."

Wuya rolled her eyes, and waved him off. "Fine, fine," she groaned, "but if something goes wrong-"

"Just stick to the plan," Hannibal insisted, "and everything will be just fine. Besides, a little ambiguity never hurt anyone, now did it?"

Wuya rolled her eyes and watched as the bird flew off. His master laughed maniacally as they disappeared into the rising sun. What she would have given for a rock and a slingshot, but for now, Wuya was content with muttering curses under her breath.

* * *

**AN: Mountain Clan history! I loved making the lore for Wuya's family! I originally wasn't going to put it in (I had written it all out, just because), but I needed something to bond Tala and Wuya together, and just decided to run with it. **

**With that, why yes, I AM pulling out the dusty old prophecy card. Confession time: I'm not all that sorry about it. This isn't going where you think it's going, I promise. **

**Seriously, it's not. Don't throw that tomato just yet. **

**New spins on old cliches are what I live for, though the build up for this one will have a long span. The prophecy will be reoccurring throughout this and the next two fics in this series, so don't worry, I have thought this through. This will be a fun ride. Well, at least for me. I enjoy this one particular plot device, and I **_**so**_ **can't wait for you to catch up to what I have in store for it. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade. **

_Twelve_ Fine Lines_

Dashi's face brightened when Tala met his eye.

"Hi!" he chirped. Dashi winced when Jia jostled his arm accidentally, twisting his bright grin into a temporary grimace.

"Hi," answered Tala, quietly. A brittle smile flicked across her face quickly, before she bit into her lower lip. She did not know that she had let her gaze flitter to the floor and made a draining, conscious effort to keep up the eye contact.

Her pulse quickened, tingling the tips of her fingers with sharp daggers. There was just something about the way Dashi's black eyes shined with pure happiness that was contagious, but it was too intense for her, and Tala always found herself looking away from them.

Tala was about to close the door behind herself, but Jia held up a flat palm, giving Tala a stern look. Tala skittered out of Jia's way when she briskly walked past her, murmuring, "Honored Trainee."

Tala's heart sank, and she avoided Jia's glower with fluttering lashes and stiffened shoulders. She played with the sash in her hands, not knowing what else to really do, other than wait for Jia to pack up her medical supplies and leave.

Jia gathered them from the bench beside the door rather quietly, though some of the small bottles of glass clinked together. They hummed with a ting; Jia snuffed out the sound, adding her own frustrated grunt.

Jia gently closed the door behind herself, juggling the tray of supplies in her other hand. Her eyes darted from Tala to Dashi with a suspicious glint added to their rich glossy brown and her full lips were puckered with a disapproving frown, before she disappeared behind the wooden frame.

"She's mad at me," said Tala with a small voice.

She had actually hoped that Dashi hadn't really heard her, but he responded with a lazy shrug and said, "You're a Xiaolin warrior, now. It's not like we have much time away from training to hang out with anybody."

Tala was grateful that Dashi had taken to looking out of the side window instead of at her, so she could afford the luxury of allowing her eyes to drop to the floor again. Tala could tell that he really wasn't in the mood for talking. His voice sounded grated, and the dark circles below Dashi's eyes gave away his sleepless nights.

It was hard to look at him without that angry flash of fire rushing into her palms, nor the cold, gut-gripping guilt that soon followed, filling up her stomach.

"I admit that I'm not much of a good friend either," Tala added, giving a stiff shrug of her own.

"Jia doesn't think so," Dashi offered. Tala could hear the effort in his voice to sound chipper, but there was a weight behind it that dragged him down, "besides, it's me she's mad at. I'm not the most _patient _patient."

"You've talked to her?" asked Tala, again forcing herself to look at Dashi.

Dashi's stare held annoyance when his eyes darted to meet Tala's, but the struggle to hide it was apparent in his light tone of voice, "What else is there to do when you're stuck in the Medicine Suite? I'd go crazy if I didn't talk to _somebody_."

"You look a little pale," she pointed out, "Are you alright? Do you need me to bring Jia back in here?"

"I'm fine," he snapped, letting the transparent mask slip, "Just sit down, already. You're making me nervous."

Tala obeyed him, squeaking out an, "I'm sorry," and quickly pulled up the chair that was leaning against the opposite wall below the window. She became stiff, and scolded herself for feeling hurt, but now matter how much Tala reasoned with herself that he hadn't meant it, the feeling remained. It stayed strong, stubborn as the dirt spot on her hand that Tala began to rub at.

The silk sash rested on her lap, and Tala offered it to Dashi quietly, deciding to get the visit over with quickly and let him rest.

"What's that?" asked Dashi, his face reddening.

His fingers brushed hers, when Tala let him take it from her hands. Their dry coldness worried her, and she decided to call Jia back when it came time for her to go.

"It's a present," Tala told him, swallowing her still-hurt feelings, "Chase asked me to give it to you."

"Chase, huh?" he clipped, wearing an appreciative smirk that did not touch his eyes, "Where is that jerk, anyway?"

"I don't know," Tala admitted, playing with her fingers now that the sash was in the hands of its rightful owner, "but, he told me that he had used it after breaking his arm a couple of years ago, and wanted you to have it."

Dashi let the sash unroll itself and tumble to the floor as she spoke. The bright azure shimmered when he brought it back up, winding it around his arm to refold it.

"I remember when he did that," Dashi told her, "He wouldn't stop bragging about the color on this thing."

Tala giggled, feeling a little better, as she imagined Chase strutting around with his arm in the sash, acting like it was a fashion accessory instead of a training hinderance.

"This sash actually was his father's," Dashi added, dropping it into his lap, "I'm surprised that he was willing to give this up."

"Master Young owned this sash?"

"He was the Xiaolin Dragon of Fire before Chase was," Dashi told her, unlooping the tie from his broken shoulder, "Can you come help me with this?"

"Of course!"

Tala rushed up and fell forward into a tangle of herself. Before Tala knew what had happened, her head violently collided with Dashi's stomach. Everything within her tensed when Tala heard Dashi's wheeze.

Tala rushed up with a horrified gasp. "_Oi mo réaltaí_!" she cried.

In her panic, Tala bashed the back of her head into Dashi's jaw. She could practically hear his head snap back, adding a sympathetic crick to her own neck. Tala winced and stiffened her shoulders to duck away from him, rubbing the lump that was now forming underneath her curls.

Dashi groaned, and Tala dreaded opening her eyes to face him. Dashi was rubbing his sore jaw when Tala opened one of her eyes ever-so-slightly. Rather than glaring at her as Tala thought that he would be, Dashi chuckled, though he winced immediately and held his stomach.

"_Tá brón orm, _I'm sorry!" Tala groveled, backing as far away from the poor boy as possible, "I'll go!"

"No, wait," Dashi called, as Tala rushed to the door. He grabbed her arm. Tala looked back at him, horrified. She could feel his hand shaking, and his eyes were laden with pain, verging on a hint of nausea.

"Don't leave," he begged, "It's okay. I'm fine."

Tala's vision blurred. Her eyes cleared and refilled themselves, tears pouring from their corners. She felt her face crumble into an ugly heap as heat rushed into it.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, "Ní raibh mé chiallaíonn a Gortaítear tú. _Ní raibh mé chiallaíonn a bheith ina ualach_. I did not mean to burden you, forgive me!"

"Hey, hey, calm down," said Dashi, touching Tala's cheek with his good hand, "I can't understand you. Breathe, Tala."

Tala gulped, and tried her best to obey his instruction, but her throat had become so tight that Tala could not speak. Instead, she placed her hand over his and nodded.

Dashi smiled, though the gesture was half-hearted. Tala saw the light dim from his eyes. The arm of his broken shoulder hung loosely, forgotten in the drama. Tala gasped and backed away from Dashi's hand when she noticed it, holding her hands over her mouth. She met his eyes with terror, feeling another sob rise into her chest.

Dashi lowered his gaze sheepishly. "Could you," he asked, weakly lifting his bad arm. The hand still clutching the blue sash trembled with the effort.

Tala's own hands began to shake when she gently lifted his forearm. Dashi held it up with his other hand so that Tala could wrap the sash around his arm and tie it over his shoulder. Her fingers kept slipping as she tied the second knot, but Tala was eventually able to tighten it enough for the sash not to slip.

"Do me a favor and stop looking at me like I'm broken, alright?"

Tala's breath caught when she heard Dashi say that. His voice had hardly been above a whisper. It was just a breath, really, and yet it held such a weight that it dragged Tala's heart down with it.

She nodded, the desert in her mouth blocking the words of her apology from her tongue.

"It's just my shoulder," said Dashi, a wry smile pulling at his pale lips, "I'm not dying."

Tala nodded again, vigorously, fighting off the tears that reemerged with the wave of guilt.

"But, you know," Dashi added, chuckling, "if you can somehow heal with your magic, it wouldn't go unappreciated."

Tala forced out a small laugh of her own, ignoring the tightening in her chest. "Oh, if only that were true," she trilled lightly, "Sometimes, I wonder if this power of mine has any use at all."

"Aside from blowing up walls," Dashi joked with a light laugh.

Tala did too, letting herself relax, despite the sadness curling into a ball where her heart should have been.

"I actually," she started, but bit her tongue. '_I can't ask him_,' she thought.

"_You actually..._?" echoes Dashi, smiling at her with an expectant sparkle in his dark eyes.

The panic ran through Tala's fingertips with a flurry of heat. "I-I," she hesitated, playing with one of her braids.

Heat rushed up from Tala's chest and spilled into her cheeks. She averted her eyes, trying to piece the words together. Unable to control herself, Tala began muttering, "I wanted to ask you...about magic. Do you- do you want magic? Of, of your own, of course. I- of course you do. Who wouldn't _want_ to, I mean, magic is..."

Tala shyly met Dashi's unblinking stare, rubbing her lips together. The fire in her cheeks ran so hot that a haze blurred his face. Tala unsuccessfully tried to wet her throat, blinking the strange mist away, and added, "magnificent."

Dashi was smiling, though his eyes had dimmed with confusion. "You're kidding, right?" he asked, upon the breath of a chuckle, "I wouldn't have gotten my arm broken if I did. Chase would have been too scared to attack me."

Tala slightly doubted that, but smiled her approval anyway, letting her blush subside into the crinkles of her rounded cheeks.

"That would be something to watch," she said, "To see Chase be given a taste of his own bullying, that is."

"I'd be lying if I said that I didn't agree with you," admitted Dashi, flashing an embarrassed smile.

"I don't blame you," said Tala, walking past him, "Really."

She rested her arms on the windowsill and looked out at the snow, knowing that if she were to keep looking into Dashi's eyes, she would lose her nerve and the chance at learning anything about his opinion on magic. There was a difference between keeping a secret to protect her for the sake of the team and being worthy of obtaining magic for himself, should she provide him the answer. Tala needed to know if she could trust him.

"Do you think the Xiaolin can really have it?" asked Dashi, as if reading her mind.

Tala pulled her arms in tightly, squeezing her chin with her elbow. She kept her gaze focused on her vapor breath as it spiraled up toward the bare trees above the Suite.

"They used to," she said, "Why not again?"

Dashi's very presence became still when he fell silent. It reminded Tala of the settling snow outside with the way the silence softly brushed her shoulders and gently collected at the base of her neck.

"But, if you could take that magic for yourself," Tala asked, "would you?"

"What are you saying?"

Tala winced at the accusation in Dashi's voice, but continued to press into it. Her heart leapt through her chest and into her throat, but she refused to allow herself to back down, saying, "If you had the way, if there _was_ a way to get the Xiaolin's magic back, would you take it?"

"Look at me," said Dashi, his voice uncharacteristically cold.

She would not. Tala glared at the trees in front of her, instead.

"Answer me," she clipped.

"Not until you look at me," snapped Dashi.

"No," she insisted, "If you had the answer, would you take it? Would the consequences matter to you?"

"_What_? No, I- Damn it, Tala," demanded Dashi, "if you're hiding anything, I swear,"

Stubbornly, Tala choked down the stone in her throat and balled her fists, grinding her teeth against the urge to tell Dashi everything. She kept silent, stiffening her shoulders, opposing the rising heat at her back.

"The Masters will kill you if they know that you've been keeping secrets!" Dashi reminded her, the desperation in his voice weakening Tala's resolve, "We can't protect you if you won't let us!"

"Who?" she snapped, "You and Chase? Chase is in it for the power. I know he is, so what about you? What do _you_ want from me and my magic?"

"Nothing!" he insisted, "You're my friend and I want to protect you, but I can't do that if you don't tell me what's going on!"

"Please," begged Tala, trying her hardest not to visibly shake, "just answer my question."

"Tala,"

The second Dashi's fingers brushed her shoulder, Tala turned around and grabbed his wrist. "_What would you do with it_?" she demanded, all fire and rage.

Dashi easily twisted his wrist out of her little clawed fingers, but that did not stop the look of pure hurt that shone through, poorly hidden, from behind his glower. "I don't know," he sapt.

The door behind Dashi burst open, startling them both. Chase walked in, limbs swinging and voice booming, "Good _morning_, Xiaolin Apprentices! Don't worry, don't worry. I'm here, now. You dont have to keep missing me."

Dashi's frown broke into a toothy smile. He walked into Chase's greeting, clasping his good hand with one of Chase's.

"Hey, guy, nice of you to finally visit me!" Dashi said, laughing.

"Well, what can I say," said Chase, "I'm a busy man."

"I doubt that," Tala grumbled.

Heat sprang into her cheeks when she realized that Chase had heard her. His eyes darted to Tala, and quickly picked up the smile that he had dropped upon making eye contact.

"Hey, Brave Girl," he greeted her cheerfully, "how's it going?"

The amber in Chase's eyes glinted in a way Tala did not particularly like. Her thoughts immediately went sour, asking herself, '_Was he listening from behind the door_? _How much has he heard_?'

Warily, she answered with a cheeky smile, "Fine, and you?"

Chase shrugged playfully. "Eh," he told her, "better."

"Good," said Tala, swallowing down her urge to leap out of the window behind her, "I'm glad, then."

Chase quickly dropped the smile, and his chipper act, altogether. The strange shining in his eyes dimmed, and openly, quietly, he added, "Thank you for delivering the sash for me. I wasn't sure if I was going to make it, today."

"I'm glad you did," Dashi interrupted, happily.

Tala caught something in Chase's eyes when Dashi spoke. The light vanished from them for a second before returning to the brightness they held when he had walked into the room. The darkness they held made Tala's breath catch.

Dashi had not noticed it. He was too busy laughing at Chase, who just told a joke that Tala had been too distracted to hear. Now, both boys were laughing, oblivious to Tala's rising anxiety. A coldness crawled up from the bottom of her stomach, beckoning her to run as far away as possible.

'_This isn't right_,' thought Tala, holding her hands above the nausea beginning to rumble in her gut, '_Don't think like that. Chase is right; You can't keep using him as a scapegoat for your fears_. _You have to try, Tala. Just relax. Enjoy this time with your friends. You're overthinking things, again._'

"Tal-" Chase's voice broke through her haze, "Tala. Hey, are you alright?"

His eyebrows met, furrowed with worry, but the concern did not touch his smile. He poked the middle of her forehead a little too roughly, saying, "Hey, wake up! Don't fall asleep on us."

Tala rubbed away the pain, concentrated like a third eye in the middle of her forehead, and glared at him. Though, she had to admit that Chase's playfulness helped her to feel a little bit better. It certainly distracted her from the falling pit in her stomach.

"Oi, don't be so rude," chided Tala, "I wasn't feeling well."

Chase copied her, doing a terrible job of mocking Tala's high-ringing voice, loling out his tongue to poorly mimic her accent.

"Chase," Dashi drawled, "don't be a jerk."

"She knows I'm kidding," said Chase, exasperating a sigh and rolling his eyes. He looked at Dashi and added smugly, "Tala and I joke all the time. That's what close friends do."

It's fine," clipped Tala, rubbing between her eyes, "Besides, I'm feeling a little bit dizzy. I may just need to go lie down."

"Maybe you should," said Dashi a bit bitterly, "A nap could clear your head."

The sound of his voice made Tala's heart pull in a painful twitch.

'_I'll apologize later_,' she reasoned with herself.

"_Whaaat_?" whined Chase, jokingly, "I just got here! Besides, the three of us haven't gotten to hang out much outside of the Training Sands. After all, we have _so_ much more than our training in common now, right?"

"Chase," sighed Dashi, "what are you talking about?"

Chase stared straight into Tala's eyes, and though he smiled, the darkness she had seen before returned with a fiery shine behind it.

Addressing Dashi without looking at him, and holding all of the accusation in his voice above Tala's head, Chase said, "I know that Tala told you about her magic." Then to Tala, just as smugly, "Planning to tell us all _separately_, were you? I'm surprised that Guan has yet to find out, actually. I thought that you two were closer."

Anger replaced what should have been the embarrassment of being caught, and took up a mantle in Tala's gut. The nausea was gone, swallowed up by hate.

"I don't have to answer to you!" she shouted, "You are not my brother, my father, my master, _nobody_! You cannot tell me whether I should tell anyone or not! This is _my_ secret, do you understand? My secret. My life, not yours. All you are is the idiot who found me."

"I'm your guardian, Tala," Chase shot back, "As so ordered by the Grand Master. It's my job to know everything about you, remember? Honestly, I wonder if you actually _do_ want to get hurt."

"Some guardian you are!"

"Come on, guys, relax," coaxed Dashi, "We can talk about this later when _all _of us are feeling better."

However, Tala was far from ready to calm down. "No," she growled, shooting a glare at him before looking back at Chase with a sneer.

Her words scratched against her throat, "If it weren't for you sleeping on the job, _tú asal dúr_, HE would have never found out! I am just lucky enough that Dashi cares enough about my feelings to _help_ me instead of hanging my own secret over my head! You are only ever around to piss me off, aren't you? You only tease me, and laugh at me and ask me questions about my magic, all while claiming to be my friend, when really, you are never there when I _actually_ need a friend. So go ahead, accuse me of hiding things from you. Perhaps I am, but that's only because you've never really given me any reason to trust you."

Chase turned whiter than linen. The ocher of his eyes brightened when they widened, and his mouth hung agape.

This time, Tala refused to feel bad. Taking a calming breath, she said, "I get it, alright? I understand that the pressure is on both of us to keep it a secret, so I'm sorry for not telling you when this all happened, but you can't just go around acting like I owe you an explanation when it's frankly none of your business."

"None of my business?" snapped Chase, again mimicking her horribly, "I already have the Grand Master breathing down my neck for that stupid wall crack! I don't need him to find out that I didn't know that Dashi found out! Do you know how bad that makes me look?"

"Well, I haven't told anybody, so this shouldn't be an issue," Dashi interrupted impatiently, holding the side of his head, "Can we all please just calm down, now? You're both giving me a headache."

Tala looked at Dashi and forced down everything else that she had been wanting to say to Chase when she saw the pain in his eyes.

"I'll go get you some ice," she said, her gaze guilty flickering from his shoulder to his glower.

"Tala," called Chase.

She heard Dashi faintly tell him to shut up, as she darted out of the door but ignored him, rushing down the corridor to find Jia. Despite it being a strain on her heartbeat, Tala was relieved to have found a way out from beneath the boys' smothering presence.

* * *

Asking Dashi had been no help. The only thing Tala accomplished with their visit yesterday was make him suspicious of her and her motives. She admitted that she had been asking him the wrong questions, and dug herself into a much bigger hole, but she could not afford to be subtle, not with the threat of Wuya and her rock giants at their back.

At least by pretending to be Wuya's apprentice, Tala was buying time for herself to get the answers that the Grand Master needed in order to restore balance back to the Xiaolin side and secure her own place of safety beneath the shadow of his good graces, but if the truth came out too early, if they thought that she had turned to Heylin magic, she would be killed!

Even then, if she were allowed to explain herself, there was a very real chance that the Masters would still vote Tala guilty, and she would die anyway. By the stars, she prayed that it would be a swift beheading and not a brutal death by flame.

Tala needed to know about the boys' affinity toward using magic non-selfishly now, before her inevitable death. She just needed to know that if the magic were able to return, then it would be left in good hands.

….But, if Tala could keep Wuya a secret for a little while longer, then maybe, just maybe, she could use the witch to prevent her own death.

After all, Grand Master Wei's patience would only be pulled so thin, and Tala feared that the more Wuya taught her about magic, the farther away the possibility of teaching it to the other Apprentices became. Tala knew that the Grand Master would not say quiet about her lack of 'progress' for much longer, and when he _would _speak...

Tala may have wanted to help her friends regain all that had been lost, but she was not willing to die for them in the process. She refused to, even if it meant having to watch her mother's face burn behind the pyre flame for a second time.

"Tala,"

Speaking of friends.

Tala looked up from her cup of tea to meet Guan's worried frown with tired eyes.

"Guan," she muttered bitterly.

He took a sip of his tea, and from behind the wooden bowl asked, "Can you repeat the line I just pointed to, please?"

Tala felt her brow crease as she registered just what it was that Guan wanted from her. Her eyes quickly darted down to the scroll beside her on the small tea table, heat slashing the back of her neck and shoulders before being swallowed up by her cheeks.

"The Emperor reached up for the dragon's pearl," said Tala, satisfaction ringing through her at how much easier this was getting, "and, in that moment, he experienced both heaven and earth at once. He became infinite, holy, the bloodline of the dragon. The mandate of Heaven was upon him, and he became an immortal. None could call themselves his master, for he held the pearl in his hands, and all the power of the world became his."

"Very good," Guan praised her with a soft smile, "Much better than last week. You are improving quickly. This is the second time that you only needed to repeat a passage once before reading it correctly. Shall we move on to practice your calligraphy, then? "

"Yes," Tala answered him quietly, digging one of her fingernails into a crack-line along the surface of her wooden cup. She tapped her fingers against her knee, trying to keep her mind away from her thoughts, but they were persistent, buzzing like flies in the hollows of her ears.

"You are staring into space again," Guan pointed out, gently taking the cup from her hands, "Is something the matter?"

Measuring her words carefully this time, Tala said, "I've just been thinking about magic lately...about this witch that they say has been spotted somewhere near the Temple. I want to know what type of magic she wields."

"There has not been another sighting for the past couple of weeks," Guan assured her, "Perhaps it was a false alarm. We might not be fighting against the forces of darkness any time soon, after all."

"You do not understand," Tala told him, forcing her tone to stay even, "I am not worried about the witch. I want to know _about_ the witch. Aren't you the least bit curious about magic?"

"No," clipped Guan.

"Are you alright?" asked Tala, watching Guan curl in his fingers, "Did I say something wrong?"

"Tala, you know why I do not have a love of magic," Guan reminded her, turning his head away from her.

'_His home_,' she remembered, her heart sinking.

"I apologize," said Tala, bowing her head, "I admit that I had forgotten."

"I do not speak of it much," said Guan, soothing away the glower on his face with a lesser frown, "I don't blame you for being unable to remember. It was long ago when I told you."

But, Tala could see that he had been hurt by her impoliteness. Guan's eyes darted away from hers, and his hands stayed clenched with unforgiving, white knuckles, but Guan kept silent against whatever thoughts were burning through his fixated stare and clenched jaw,

"That was wrong of me," she murmured, "I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted."

Guan's voice contradicted his words, but Tala decided to let it lie. Best not to dig herself into a bigger hole and ruin her chances to see if he could be worthy of the Xiaolin magic, too.

She had a good idea of his feelings on the subject already, but it wouldn't hurt to be fully sure before going to the Grand Master with the curse-breaker.

"Guan," she said, hesitating, "I really need to ask.. That if, say, one of _us_ had magic, would you.. Would you see them…"

Tala dug her nail into the cup, trying to focus on the pain in her knuckle than on the fluttering of her pulse and the pounding in her ears. "_Me_. Say it were me," she squeaked, "would you think of me differently?"

"No,"

Tala's heart skipped. "No?"

Guan flashed a rather uncomfortable smile, dodging her worried frown with a shake of his head as he poured them both some more tea. "Because I know that you don't have magic," he bit, apparently trying to shoo away his anger with a dismissive chuckle, "Witches are evil and cruel creatures, Tala, and you are neither. They can't hide what they are."

"But, what if a witch could hide herself from you?" asked Tala, feeling her mouth run dry. She could hardly hear her own voice above the quickening of her pulse that barricaded her ears, "What if she were your friend? Would you hate her, if you knew?"

"It is impossible," said Guan, "But, if one were to be able to hide her true nature, then she must be the darkest and cruelest of all. Only those with an affinity for evil would manipulate others according to their will so selfishly. Surely, the only reason a witch could or would do such a thing is to infiltrate and lay waste to the Xiaolin Temple."

"But, what if she didn't?"

"The destruction of all that is light and good is what witches are born for," Guan reminded her, gently, "They cannot stand it. If a witch were to pretend to be human among us, she would be crawling out of her skin to do harm to others. She would be caught quickly, and would be burned to death by the following dawn."

Tala clenched her jaw. A haze drifted across her eyes. "Of course," she whispered, ignoring the pain in her teeth.

"Excuse me?" asked Guan, leaning a little bit forward to hear her better.

Tala shot up, knocking the small table with her knees. The kettle and cups rattled, knocking over Tala's tea bowl. It splashed onto her clothes, burning her legs, but she was more concerned with leaving than she was with the pain.

"Are you alright?" Guan cried out with surprise, leaping up, himself.

Tala bowed quickly, avoiding looking into his face. "I have to go," she muttered.

Tala darted away, toward the door behind her, but Guan was fast enough to catch the girl by her wrist.

"Tala, wait," he said, "At least let me help you clean up. You're soaking with hot tea! Look, even your hands are burning!"

His face was a blur, and Tala's fingers tingled with the danger of magic. She tried to yank her arm away, but Guan was far too strong. Tala tried not to panic, but the more she struggled to get away, the hotter and more terrified she felt. "Let me go!"

"What is wrong with you?" Guan demanded, looking about as frightened as she was feeling, "Why won't you let me help you?"

Tala paused, remembering Dashi ask the same thing of her, yesterday. Feeling dread and horror rise up within her chest in a combination of ice, fire and panic, she looked at him. When their eyes met, Tala saw herself reflected back: the wide eyes and broken face of a scared child.

"Because, I can't trust you," she choked, "I can't trust anyone. Now, _please_, let me go!"

Guan dropped Tala's wrist, and she slowly backed away, keeping her sour eyes on him. He looked hurt, confused more than anything. How was it that all she could do was hurt Guan? Perhaps he was right. Perhaps all that a witch could do was destroy.

"I'm sorry," she told him, finally letting go of her tears, "I tried."

Then, she ran.

* * *

**Irish Gaelic Translation:**

'_Oi mo réaltaí_!'_-_ Oh my stars!

'_Tá brón orm_'- I'm sorry

'Ní raibh mé chiallaíonn a Gortaítear tú.'- I did not mean to hurt you.

'_Ní raibh mé chiallaíonn a bheith ina ualach_.'- I did not mean to be a burden.

'_tú asal dúr'- _you stupid ass/ donkey


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade. **

_Thirteen_ Warning Signs _

Winter had put up a formidable fight, not yet ready to be torn away from the earth for another cycle. But, it eventually gave in to spring's relentlessness and died peacefully. Soon after, spring itself submitted to summer's welcoming hand, taking a gracious bow for its rather short yet beautiful performance of blooming cherry and peach blossoms.

The wind, nonetheless, still blew with the sweet perfume of hydrangea and peony, courtesy of the Temple's flowering gardens. Green shoots of grass were a plush carpet, lining the ever-winding paths of the Temple and its many apartments. The white crystalline blanket of winter was a distant memory now, under the blinking gaze of the hot June sun. However, it was not just the Xiaolin Temple that had changed with the seasons.

Chase was fifteen, now. His is birthday had heralded the beginning of summer, and much like the grass that danced upon the hills under a light breeze, Chase was more vibrant in the days that passed it. He was truly considered a man, now at the appropriate age, and he took on the full weight of it with pride. Chase stood taller, spoke deeply, and wore his confidence like a cloak wherever he went.

Even now, as he walked past one of the main gardens, a pair of maids watched him, blushing and whispering to each other. They scurried away when Chase lifted his head to show that he had taken notice of them. The silly women clung to one another as they hurried away, giggling like small children. Chase paid no mind to it. He was used to the attention, and rather liked it.

He ducked into the adjacent garden, greeted by a wall of flowering scents. The fragrance of the wisteria and plum blossom trees tickled Chase's nose, and the glossy color of the over-hanging purple flowers under the twinkling of the sun was a delight to his eyes. The freshness of the breeze at his back was welcoming. It rippled a yawn from him.

Chase sat below the wisteria's black trunk and rested his back against it. This was a lazy afternoon for him, and a well-deserved one. He and the others had been training tirelessly since winter's end. Not a moment had been spared for resting, and all four had been worked to their last legs in order to prepare for the imminent attack by the witch that had been spotted roaming the countryside.

Chase could hardly imagine why; the dark creature had been seen months ago, and not a trace of her had been spotted since. The informant had been mistaken, he assumed, and Chase and his friends were pushed for nothing. If he were to catch wind of the little cretin again, Chase would be sure to show that moron first hand how much the extra training had paid off.

Not that he minded much, of course. Chase was fine with going the extra mile. After all, a little more skill never hurt anyone. His concern, however, was for Tala. She had grown exceptionally thin, and complained about pains more than she should. Worse still, she hardly smiled anymore, and during their sessions would become irritable if Chase suggested relaxing for the night.

"I'll talk to her," Chase reasoned to himself, as he began to drift off to sleep.

"Talk to who?"

Chase didn't need to open his eyes. He could recognize that slow-crawling voice anywhere. There was nothing else like it.

Chase rolled over, making himself more comfortable, and hoped that Hannibal would just leave. He wasn't in the mood for talking, and squared his shoulders to get that message across.

"Oh, don't tell me you're avoiding me now?" Hannibal teased.

Chase squeezed his eyes tightly. Batting a hand over his shoulder, he grunted, "I don't want to talk about it."

"It's about that chickadee, isn't it," Hannibal continued to question. The condescending tone in his voice was thinly veiled, which only just bristled the hairs on Chase's neck.

"_Go_," snapped Chase, "_away_. I haven't slept much, and I'd appreciate it if you'd let me rest."

"I'm gauging that _she_ hasn't slept much, either," Hannibal cooed, "That's what's got you worried, isn't it?"

Chase's voice was flat, when he told the bean, "No."

"Now, now," Hannibal lightly tisked, "no need to get testy. I was only showing concern for you and your little friend. I can see why you're worried about her. The little Air monk hasn't been looking too good, these days…. A bit too preoccupied with training, if you know what I mean. Obsessive, really."

Chase shot up, glaring at Hannibal. Red swam across his vision, bright as the sun itself.

"You've been _spying_ on her?" he accused.

"No," Hannibal huffed, "simply keeping an eye open. That girl pushes herself a little too hard and, as it turns out, you and I are the only ones who've seemed to notice, or even care _at all_, if they have already. Your father's never been much of a fan of her's, anyway. I doubt he'd be much help, if he'd taken account of anything being wrong."

Chase looked away, admitting to himself, with a swallow of his pride, that the bean was right. "Dad and Grand Master Wei don't care about Tala," he added, "Just so long as she's able to stand on her own two feet, and practice magic, they don't pay any attention to her health. Dashi and Guan, they're more concerned with their own training to notice what's happening to her, too."

Hannibal Bean nodded solemnly, looking slightly sad. "You are the only friend that girl has," he confirmed, "Her only _true_ friend, anyway."

But, then the bean's eyes flickered up to meet Chase's with an angry sharpness to them, and he added, "It's a shame that she's been lying to you."

"_What_?" snapped Chase, "No."

"Sadly," said Hannibal, folding its tentacles, "while you've been so busy trying to gain her trust, Tala's been playing with yours."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Chase, sitting fully upright.

"That witch you and your friends have been training so hard to prepare for," Hannibal told him, raising its hairless brows and curling its withered lips into a rotted smile, "She's been training Tala secretly for months, now."

"No way," Chase dismissed, rising to his feet, "I've been training with Tala nearly every night. She hasn't shown much improvement. If she were training more, I'd know."

"_Would_ you?" asked the bean, slyly.

Chase was quiet. He leaned his back against the tree, looking up into the purple canopy. The black branches, snaking their way among the sea of purple flowers, looked like veins connecting the flowers to the trunk. Under the sunlight that poked through in pinpricks of stars, they seemed to pulse like a living thing. Above him, something stirred, but Chase assumed it was one of the cats that hung around the kitchens. The often loved to nap in trees, this time of year.

"Why _else_ has this witch not attacked yet?" Hannibal prodded, "Think about it. I'll wait."

"Because," said Chase, "It was a false alarm and we were all put on edge for nothing."

"_Because,_ this witch has been too busy with Tala to deal with the likes of you," Hannibal Bean corrected, its smile widening.

Chase closed his mouth against the response he no longer had and looked back up into the canopy, pinching the bridge of his nose. He sighed, trying to clear his brain, but questions kept on buzzing, clawing at the sides of his head like an enraged beast that had been cornered.

"Do yourself a favor, Chase," said the bean before hopping away, "Pay attention to what your little chickadee does, tonight. Ask her questions. She'll lie, but keep looking at her eyes. They won't. And, no matter what, above all else: _No_. Training. If she gets restless about it, you'll know I'm telling the truth."

* * *

Everything was coming along perfectly.

Inside the dark hollow of a tree lay a round chest, golden and adorned with the winding bodies of snarling dragons. It was a beautifully crafted thing, and ten times Hannibal Bean's size, but it wasn't the case he wanted. It was, as they say, what was inside that counted.

Hannibal Bean smiled up at the golden chest, his reflection distorted by the snarling face of a dragon that adorned it. Upon the beast's lolling tongue was his triumphant smile, twisted and curled with pride and greed.

He laughed to himself, saying, "That boy is thicker than a sack full of porridge if he couldn't see that girl's deception for this long! But, at least, we were able to use that to our advantage."

"Yes,"

The eyes of the golden dragon gleamed red, and a voice from behind them spoke, "Lucky for us, your supposed Crown has already been too seduced by the Pearl's magic to see her faults."

"Not completely," Hannibal reminded it, raising a hairless brow, "The two of them still have a hard time trusting each other. They could both become master manipulators some day, if they works at it hard enough. Sadly, they can smell that on each other."

"Nevertheless," answered the voice, the red brightening the tiny tree hollow, "Use her hold over him wisely. Even by manipulating the knowledge of Tala's training with Wuya as a way to trick the boy into feeling betrayed by her enough to place his faith in you, he can still be lost through the bond they share…. Are you certain that this will prepare them for me?"

"Of course, my liege," said Hannibal, bowing as gracefully as his tiny body could manage, "The boy is nearly ripe for your arrival."

"The _boy_?" demanded the voice. The glowing eyes intensified like a fire's blaze with the rising of its voice, "And, what of the girl?"

Hannibal scoffed. "Just a witch," he said, "A half-breed farmer's girl. Barely enough magic to lift a boulder, and more than enough of her share of weaknesses. She's hardly worth your notice."

"What is _worth _my notice," warned the voice, its red eyes flashing to an acidic, gleaming yellow, "is something _I _decide. If I am to claim a body for myself, then I must have strength enough to do it. The Lou Ming Long Soup can only bring so much of my powers into this world. You, of all creatures, should know this!"

"If it's strength you're wanting," said Hannibal, frowning and folding his tentacles, "then the Pearl is hardly an option. She may have magic, but being so young, she is unstable and will be unable to provide what you need. The Crown is older, and is far more able-bodied in his skills. More confident, too. Less volatile, and more easily corrupted. You will have a far easier time-"

"Enough of your useless babbling," snapped the voice, roaring, "I want what is due to me, or you will never see that new body! Do I make myself clear, Hannibal Roy _Bean_?"

Rage and embarrassment bubbled behind the bean's eyes, and his entire body shook with it. '_You make one little mistake,_' his mind hissed.

But, Hannibal was able to keep his voice steady enough to say, "Perfectly."

The eyes dimmed back to red, glowing like soft candlelight. "Now," soothly spoke the voice, "concerning Wuya, the Mountain witch. What role will we allow her to play in this little game of ours?"

"One she has always played, my lord," said Hannibal, feeling his smile return. His pleasure slithered out, smooth and slick, "Just as she and her sister have done before, Wuya is in search of our Pearl, and is winning the girl to our cause as we speak."

The voice chuckled knowingly, and said, "And what of the time when Tala agrees to take on her role as the Pearl? What will become of our old witch, then?"

Hannibal's smile widened into a toothy grin at the thought of finally ridding himself of Wuya, once and for all. "Do I even have to say it?" he asked.

"We are in agreement, then," the voice told him, the eyes of the golden dragon flashing like rubies beneath the light, "Serve me well, Hannibal Roy Bean, and you shall be rewarded with power beyond your wildest dreams."

"Oh, not beyond them," chuckled Hannibal, "straight from them. I still remember the feel of my magic...and when I had hands."

The voice purred, "Do not disappoint me, my old friend, and you shall have it again. In the meantime, I look forward to seeing you face to face."

The eyes faded, and when the light of life left the golden case, Hannibal began to laugh.

"Just you wait, Wuya," he said to the wind as its flowery scent picked up around him, "Soon, there will be no use for you anymore, and I will have this wretched world all to myself, in the hands of demons, where it belongs."

* * *

Sunset was a few hours away. The days were much warmer now, but the sun's lazy presence made Wuya antsy with each passing day. She would rather be hidden under the cover of darkness, even if it meant not being able to feel her toes.

However, the thick foliage of the forest made just as good of a cover, especially at twilight, when shadows were at their most distorted and light was more confusing than the darkness itself. She had hidden herself in the branches of a courtyard tree, waiting for the moment to catch Tala alone.

It was time. Bean be damned, she needed to tell Tala everything.

Hannibal Bean thought that he was so clever, sneaking behind her back, telling that brat of his about her and Tala. Lucky for Wuya, she had been napping in that same wisteria tree, and awoke to hear the whole conversation.

"The girl has been playing with you, boy. You can't trust her," Wuya mocked the old goat under her breath, to herself, "Blah, blah, blah."

Well, if Hannibal Roy Bean was going to play it _that_ way, so would she!

Wuya swung her legs over the black branch and leaned back to look up into the purple flowers. The light flickered through them, leaving light motes on her skin. She closed her eyes, thinking of home and the high gardens, before they had been abandoned. Wuya could almost hear the sounds of childhood laughter in the breeze, as its perfume clogged her lungs and left a bitter taste in her mouth.

The white, pristine fountains, the grassy knolls and fallen pillars where she used to play with Shi-Ahn and the others, the smell of spices and the sounds of the adults' cheerful chatter...She always hated that place.

Wuya opened her eyes and swung forward to keep from falling back. She growled with frustration, asking herself when the hell sunset would be. She lay across the branch, folding her hands behind her head, and stared up at the wisteria flowers.

"Kid," she muttered, drifting to sleep, again, "you better appreciate me, after this. This is the last time I stay all day in a tree to wait for you."

* * *

**AN: The author used flail! It hurt itself in its confusion!**

**This chapter just felt so thrown-in-your-face, and I'm so sorry. It came up so fast on me, that I had to take a minute and process just how far into the plot we've come. I was going to add another chapter before this to buffer it, but I really couldn't find any fluff that was plot-relevant enough to add as padding. So, straight into the fray we go, then. **


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade. **

_Fourteen_ Pawns and Pearls _

Chase sighed to prepare himself, clutching the basket with sweaty fingers and white knuckles. Hannibal Bean told him to pay attention to what Tala said tonight, and above all else, avoid training with her and watch how she would react.

He had to admit that Tala was more irritable as of late. The past couple of months had not been easy for her. Tala's physical skills had improved, but the magic… She seemed just about as frustrated as he was. It felt like no matter what they did, no matter how much energy Tala put into the stances they practiced, no matter how high she could lift things into the air with her power, that was the extent of it.

The Grand Master was becoming weary of the delay in her improvement, too. Every time they met with him, he would patiently tell Tala to continue on with her practicing, but Chase could see that disappointment in the old man's eyes and the fire that engulfed it soon after. Chase feared that Tala did not have much time left until that fire would be unleashed onto her, like it once had him.

She was there, as expected, sitting beneath the willow tree. Meditating in the Lotus position, Tala faced her back to the trunk, away from him.

"Now or never," he told himself, stepping forward. He rubbed his free hand on his pants to get rid of the sweat, and ignored the pit dropping in his stomach.

Chase relaxed his grip on the basket's handle when she turned to smile at him. Tala stood to greet him, her black curls bouncing with the twirl when she rushed to her feet.

Though she had grown, Tala was still small in frame and height. She hilariously had only reached to just below Chase's shoulder, though it was quite the spurt from when she had first arrived.

Just as the plum blossom blooms at the end of winter, Tala, too, had come into her own. She turned thirteen when spring began to show its face and had changed from a little girl to the beginnings of a lady with the melting of the snow.

The soft roundness of childish innocence on her chin had thinned into a womanly point. Her eyes, though still rounder than most, had finally filled into the rest of her face, bright a silver as ever. Tala's lips became fuller too, but still held that ever-present downturn of mistrust at their corners, even when she smiled.

Chase tousled the hair at the top of her head, saying, "Glad to see you're more awake tonight, Tal. The dark circles under your eyes are beginning to fade."

Tala pushed Chase's arm away and gave him an annoyed smirk that bared a few teeth and crinkled her eyes. "Come off it," she demanded, "_you_ look just as tired as I do. Now, stop touching my hair! You know I don't like that."

"Yeah, yeah," said Chase, lifting the basket to his eye level, "I brought you something."

"What is it?" asked Tala, reaching for it.

He lifted the basket out of her reach, saying, "Food, since I'm starting to worry."

"Thank heaven," she sighed, "I'm starving."

He sat down on one of the willow's protruding roots and Tala joined him on the opposite one, expectantly staring at the basket with wide eyes and a happy smile.

'_Oh, good, I get to tempt her with food_,' he thought, smirking at the way her eyes nearly glowed with anticipation, '_Hopefully, that can make this all a little easier._'

Chase placed the basket between them and when he began pulling out the sweet buns and honey, he mentioned, "You weren't at supper tonight, or last night, for that matter."

He handed her a bun, that Tala bit into heartily. Chase offered her the jar of honey, but Tala shook her head. She had just barely swallowed her portion when she answered, "I was at the Training Sands. My Cat stance is still off. It's that back foot. I always misplace it. My downward Snake strike is still out of alignment, too. I always sidestep wrong."

"Don't you think you're pushing yourself just a little too far, Tals?" asked Chase adjusting himself to lean a bit more toward her, "Skipping meals is… You've been doing this for months now, and you're still just a kid. Something bad could happen if-"

"It's only supper," Tala cut him off with a shrug. She polished off the sweet bun and sucked on her fingers before reaching for another one.

"Hey," said Chase, leaning away and raising his hands to give the little animal some room, "all I know is that your skinny face and twiggy arms aren't all just from that growth spurt."

"Oi! I'm not _dying_, alright?" Tala complained. She rolled up her sleeve and flexed her arm, saying "I've got muscles! Not as big as yours, but this is what my hard work has earned me!"

"Just start coming back to supper, okay?" he snapped, "We miss you. The training can wait."

"But, I-"

Tala shut her mouth when Chase glared at her. It was a little harsh, he knew, but this was too serious for him to joke around with. "_Just_," he growled, "be careful."

Tala glared right back at him, curling her hands in tightly. Her stiff shoulders and straight arms reminded Chase of an angry cat with its hackles raised. She really did look like she was about to spit at him. He nearly smirked at the idea.

"You don't understand," Tala insisted, mumbling through her teeth, "I'm still a Trainee, and if I don't catch up to you boys before the next assessments, I might be,"

She looked away, curling and uncurling her hands. "I would do anything," she whispered, "I would do _anything_ to stop feeling so afraid."

'_Anything?_' he thought. Now, this was interesting. Maybe if he prodded a little bit at this...

"If you told me, us-" Chase corrected himself, "If you told _us_ what's going on with you, then maybe you wouldn't _have_ to be so afraid. What are you even afraid of?"

Tala stiffened, and Chase bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smirking. '_Gotchya_.'

"I-I, of course I'm not _afraid_," she stammered, "I just.. I'm nervous is all. If I don't catch up in time-"

"It's not like the Masters will kick you out if you don't improve your martial arts skills fast enough," Chase cut her off, deciding to prod her along by beating Tala to her excuses, "This takes years to master, remember? You've only been a Trainee for two years. Not even _I _could make Apprentice until three."

"You also aren't a witch," said Tala, throwing a glower at him, as sharp as a dagger, "You aren't in danger of accidentally revealing yourself. It's not just my physical skills that need to show improvement. The Grand Master-"

"If the Grand Master tries to do anything to you," clipped Chase, smiling, "I'll kill him. "

Instead of laughing at the half-joke as he had assumed she would, a look of terror swept across Tala's face. "Chase!" she cried, "Don't say such a thing!"

Brushing her off, Chase reached for the last bun and split it in half. Offering the other part to Tala, he said, "I'm not just your guardian, but your friend. I'd probably do anything to protect you if I seriously had to. Besides, you're a Xiaolin Dragon in Training. You're basically stuck here. The old man can't touch you."

"It's treasonous to even joke that way," Tala chided, pushing his hand back.

Chase shrugged, biting into the half she rejected.

Tala stood and stretched. Chase heard a pop in her shoulder when she winced. It reminded him a little too much of rattling branches.

"And you're _sure_ being banished is all you're worried about," he asked, watching Tala turn her back to begin a breathing exercise.

Tala pushed and pulled the air, rocking on her out-held foot, heel to toe. She answered him from over her shoulder, "Not banishment, really. I honestly don't know _what _it is I think they'll do. I just know that I don't want it."

She brought herself back in and closed the stance before switching to her other foot, and began the exercise again. "That's why I need you to help me train," she added, "so that I don't have to worry so much."

Here we go.

Chase's heart began to race. '_Alright_,' he reasoned with himself, '_don't screw it up. Just act casual about it. She can't know that you're looking for a reaction_.'

"Well, tonight I'm not helping you," he said, "I think you need to rest. I wasn't kidding about those dark circles. Skipping your meals isn't helping much, either."

Tala paused. Not even bothering to quiet her chi with a close, she spun around to face Chase with wide eyes.

"What are you saying?" Tala demanded, hissing through her teeth, "You're saying that I can't handle it? We've been through this before. I can't afford to do anything _but_ train. I have to get better! The assessments-"

"You can't get better at _anything_ if you're exhausted," said Chase, "Believe me, I know. You've really gotten thin, Tala. You're so tired that you always seem like you're about to drop down dead. You're starting to actually look really sick!"

Tala scoffed at him. "I'm fine," she snapped, "I don't need you to mother me."

"I'm not mothering you!" shouted Chase, the anger biting his stomach as it mixed with his nervousness, "I know what it's like to overexert yourself! I know what I'm talking about! You need a break!"

"Fine!" she shouted back, "_Fine_. I'll rest, tonight. Stop shouting. You are giving me a headache."

"And that's another thing," said Chase, rubbing his thumb over his wrist, "You need to be monitored when you train. You keep complaining about pains, and it's obvious how sore you are. You're probably not doing the stances right."

"Don't want me to hurt myself?" challenged Tala, mocking him with pursed lips.

Chase glared at her. "You're really getting on my nerves, kid," he warned her, but Tala didn't seem to care much.

She shrugged and turned back around, returning to her breathing exercise. Chase watched her rock back and forth, saying, "I mean it. You need to sleep."

"I _know_!"

Well, this was getting nowhere. Perhaps Hannibal was wrong. Tala didn't seem suspicious, just cranky. Still, for someone who wanted to train so badly, she gave up just a little too easily.

Chase stood up and joined Tala on her right. He began to mirror her, taking deep, slow breaths as he rocked back and forth. They pushed and pulled the air in harmony, an exact reflection of each other.

"Are you angry?" he asked as they, together, closed the stance and switched to the other foot.

"Yes," Tala clipped, "But, I understand. Apology accepted."

Chase smirked. "I didn't ask for an apology."

"Now you don't have to."

He had to give the brat credit. She walked him into that one.

As they closed the stance, Chase kept his eye on Tala. Her glower was still hard and deadly, and she made a point of not looking at him, but all Chase could really see was her anger and exhaustion, not some hidden motive.

Maybe it was best to give up for now and let her be. Hannibal Bean had to have been wrong. Tala wasn't anxious about not training, just irritable. The poor kid hardly seemed to be sleeping, so it was to be expected, really…. but, something in the back of Chase's mind just kept saying, '_You're wrong_.'

* * *

Wonderful.

Chase was beginning to sound like a mother hen, with all his talk of worrying. Tala suppressed a yawn as she crawled onto her futon, not bothering burrow beneath the blankets. She wanted to yell, thinking about him. It was so frustrating hiding all of this!

Between training with the other three warriors during the day, her tutoring with Chase after supper each evening, and her late-night rendezvous with Wuya every fortnight, it was a wonder Tala had even slept at all for the past three-and-a-half months.

Tala stifled a yawn as she curled up onto her side. She blew at the candle beside her bed, snuffing out the flame with a fast breath. Sweet silence overtook her in the darkness as she closed her eyes. That was the one good thing to come from tonight, really.

Even though she lost a day of physical training, Tala was glad that Chase suggested that she rest for the night. She considered taking his hint and faking sick for the next couple of days to revitalize herself with some much needed rest.

In fact, she was aiming to have a full rest from sunset to sunrise at that very moment, but a green light burning through her eyelids strongly disagreed.

"If you do not let me sleep," warned Tala groggily, "I shall collapse and die."

"Oh, boo _hoo_," snorted Wuya, yanking Tala by her wrist to stand, "We have more important things to worry about than your beauty sleep."

Tala glared at her, blinking at the blinding light of the fireglow. The sheer brightness of it was giving her a migraine. "I'm not joking," she said, "I really do need to rest whenever I can. You _know _how much little sleep I get."

"You're young," sneered Wuya, "you'll live. Besides, it won't kill you. Not many things _can_ kill a witch."

"Except maybe fire," grumbled Tala, wishing that she currently had a few flames of her own to throw at Wuya.

Playfully, Wuya pretended to muse. Through pursed lips, she said, "Wait, _does_ that rule still apply to half-breeds? Eh, oh well, I guess it doesn't matter. I'm _sure_ you'll be fine!"

Tala pretended not to hear her and shielded her eyes with her hand. "What do you want?" she snapped, "You agreed to give me the night off, tonight. I wanted to use it get some extra training in with Chase."

Wua rolled the eyes at the mention of Chase's name, a disgusted sneer scrawling upon her face.

"I was going to wait until later to tell you," explained Wuya with a sigh, "but you know how I hate waiting."

"You're kidding," said Tala.

Tala sat down and began to bury herself beneath the covers again. "I'm going back to sleep," she told Wuya, "Whatever it is you wanted to tell me can wait until tomorrow. No, make that next week. I'm planning on playing sick, so that I can have time enough to _remedy_ the major loss of sleep that you have caused me. It's starting to show and people have noticed."

"You mean the pretty boy noticed," snapped Wuya.

"It's still dangerous," argued Tala, "We can't afford to tip the Masters off to my meeting with you. If my health worsens, I might collapse and they'll be left to wonder why."

"Oh, _come on_, Tala, grow up," groaned Wuya, which ironically was the same thing Tala planned on telling her, "You know that I wouldn't have come on your night off if it wasn't something important."

"Wuya," grumbled Tala, scrunching her eyes as tightly as she could, "you think that _everything_ you say is important."

"_Exactly_," agreed Wuya, exasperated, "so wake up and _listen_ to me!"

Tala continued to ignore her, hoping that Wuya would just go away, in spite of knowing better than to give her aunt the cold shoulder.

Wuya picked Tala up as easily as she would have a sack of potatoes and held her by the collar of her nightdress. Tala groggily stared into the witch's eyes, too exhausted to be moved to fear as they glowed their terrible green.

"I told you to _wake up_," growled Wuya.

"If there is something to be said," Tala told her, suppressing a yawn, "then say it. I need to go back to sleep."

Wuya rolled her eyes and let go of the collar. Tala dropped into a bundle, knocking both of her elbows and bruising her backside. She hissed at the pain, rubbing her lower back. Wuya laughed.

"Talk about a wake up call," she joked, "Are you ready to hear me out now, or not?"

"You used to haunt my dreams," said Tala, "now you only fill my nights with annoyance and lack of sleep."

"Yeah, yeah," dismissed Wuya, "You'll be thanking me three hundred years from now when you're a master sorceress like I am."

"Oh," sighed Tala, "I can't wait."

"Do you want to learn magic, or not?" snapped Wuya, "because, at the pace we're going, you'll be getting your Wudai rank before you even learn how to levitate, _Trainee_."

"I'll be an Apprentice soon," grumbled Tala, "just you wait."

"Right," harrumphed Wuya, "and then everybody will love you, and accept you, and no one will be afraid of you, despite the fact that you were born a monster."

"That's not fair," Tala snapped.

"_Life_ isn't fair, Tala!" Wuya shouted, "and it's time for you go grow up and see that. These humans, they aren't _like_ us. They may laugh with you, smile with you, they may even treat you like an equal. Someone might even fall in love you, but they will _never _understand you. Humans fear what they don't understand, and when they begin to fear something, they seek to _destroy_ it."

"You don't know that," accused Tala.

Her pounding heart reminded Tala that Wuya could still be frightening. She had almost forgotten just how threatening the old hag could be, until she stared up into those blazing eyes and bared fangs that threw down daggers of hatred and spit out words of violence.

"Your _mother _did," hissed Wuya.

"I know she did," said Tala, too angry to wet the dryness of her throat, "I was there. Where were you?"

Wuya's glower gleamed and her mouth twisted up with pleasure. She knelt down so fast that Tala instinctively scuttled back. Wuya's face was so close that Tala nearly felt swallowed up by the green of her eyes.

"That's what I'm here to talk to you about," said Wuya with a hushed and hurried voice, "why your mother and I split up, that is."

Tala leaned away, bringing Wuya's face back into focus. She wished that she hadn't. The look on the woman's face was more frightening than anything Tala had ever come across in her nightmares. She saw happiness.

Whenever Wuya was happy, Tala knew that she soon would not be. She held her breath and tried not to look too startled. If Wuya had noticed at all, then the old witch did not seem to mind. Her smile widened.

"Have the Masters told you yet?" she asked.

Tala swallowed the breath that she was holding. Her voice came out as a squeak, "Told me what?"

"What they're searching for," answered Wuya, "_Why_ the Grand Master let you live, that day."

"We've gone over this," said Tala with a roll of her eyes, "They want to use my magic in order to restore that which the Xiaolin has lost,"

Wuya shook her head, chuckling. "That's not all," she whispered.

"What, then?" asked Tala, matching her hushed tone.

"There is a prophecy," answered Wuya in a hush, "one that spans centuries, one that your mother and I have been following since the day our clan was destroyed, three hundred years ago."

"What does that have to do with me?" asked Tala, though she dreaded the answer.

"Heylin born with Xiaolin ties," said Wuya slowly, "Xiaolin born to Heylin lies."

"Heylin born," Tala began to ask, but Wuya shushed her, pressing a finger to her lips.

"Listen," Wuya instructed, her eyes wide and solemn, "_carefully_."

Tala nodded, and Wuya took her finger away. She began again,"Heylin born with Xiaolin ties. Xiaolin born to Heylin lies. Deceit is the Crown, but truth is the Pearl. Like a pair of lovers torn, they split the world. _But_, unless they can restore balance anew, chaos will take its rein, full and true."

Tala listened inwardly, letting the words sink in. The answer came, just as she feared.

"Heylin born with Xiaolin ties," whispered Tala, her throat scratching with dread, "a witch on the side of the Xiaolin. You think that's me_?_"

"Yeah," said Wuya, "_you_."

Her ravenous smile and flashing eyes reminded Tala of a wolf, or a tiger, that was hungry for blood.

"Or, so it would seem," added Wuya thoughtfully, "I'm not entirely _sure_ yet. Heylin-borns are pretty scarce nowadays, so you _are_ the safest bet, but you don't feel much right for the part. A little too goody-two-shoes."

Tala ignored her last comment. Sceptically, she asked, "What does the rest of it mean?"

"No one really knows," said Wuya, shrugging, "Scholars have been discussing it since the time the prophecy was written. After all, you know how humans are. They can't agree on anything. The best they could come up with is that both the Xiaolin and Heylin sides can reside in the world together with harmony if they can learn to work together."

Tala was taken aback. "That-" she stammered, "Why would I be a part of that?"

"Because that's not what it truly means," said Wuya, "That's just what the humans say to each other to help them sleep at night. Your Masters know better than that, and so do I. There have been rumors of a different meaning, one much more ancient and much more dangerous."

"I'm not hearing this," Tala protested hollowly.

"Long ago," said Wuya with a sly and knowing smile, "this prophecy foretold the coming of two warriors: one born to the light, and the other to darkness. The child born to darkness would be casted to the side of the light. The child of light would be tricked by the darkness and be consumed by it. Because of the influence from both sides, these two agents would have a knowledge in magic that is neither fully Heylin nor Xiaolin. With that special knowledge, they would have tremendous power."

"That is insane!" shouted Tala.

"What did I say about _interrupting_?" sang Wuya, again silencing Tala with her hand.

Tala clenched her jaw and Wuya continued, returning her hand to her lap, "Upon the day these two warriors come into their birthrights, the chord between good and evil will snap, and the world will fall into glorious chaos. However, though the two warriors are each equally destined to rule, their ideals are at war. They will fight with each other until one relents, and the victor will take his place to restore balance to the world in favor of the side they are loyal to."

"This isn't happening," mumbled Tala, holding her head in her hands.

"Shi-Ahn and I searched the world, looking for any sign that this prophecy could be true. We hoped that if we found at least one of those warriors, we could teach them our ways and make them loyal to our cause," said Wuya, "I wonder if she knew,"

Tala looked up. "Knew what?"

Wuya's eyes flickered, no longer playful. She almost seemed disappointed when she said, "That she was carrying a piece of the puzzle inside of her."

"I'm not a part of this," insisted Tala, "You said so yourself that there is no certainty that I am-"

"I would agree, but it makes sense," said Wuya, "You were born with Heylin magic in your blood, and yet here you are, a Xiaolin monk on the road to becoming one of the four Dragon warriors. This cannot all be by chance, Tala."

Tala's hands burned. Her breath and heart quickened. Though her bare arms were cold and riddled with gooseflesh, Tala felt sweat drip down her back.

A shiver clawed its way between her shoulders when she pointed out, "Your interpretation can be wrong."

"It's not," answered Wuya, "The humans' interpretation missed two very important details: the Crown and the Pearl."

"So?" snapped Tala, "Poetry can take many meanings-"

"Do you have any idea what the Crown and Pearl symbolize?" asked Wuya, "Think about it,"

"Royalty," answered Tala, rolling her eyes,"enlightenment,"

Wuya nodded. "A king wears a crown," she added, "and a queen wears pearls around her neck. These two people are meant to _rule_."

"As both masculine and feminine representatives, they are also opposites," Tala pointed out, "They could very well mean the masculine and feminine traits of Yin and Yang. The prophecy might not be talking about a royal rule at all."

Wuya nodded again, this time slowly, as the light in her eyes turned inward. Thoughtfully, Wuya said, "A crown conquers, using physical power. Pearls: enlightenment, the mind, and-"

"Magic,"

Wuya's eyes watched Tala, full and open, as realization began to seep into them.

"Body and mind," she said, "male and female, Yin and Yang. You're right, there is more to this than I think."

"Where are you going?" cried Tala, when Wuya scrambled to her feet.

Wuya went to jump out of the window, but Tala leapt up and held her there, yanking on the witch's wrist. Wuya looked back at Tala, annoyance curving around her puckered lips.

"Just lie low for a couple of days," said Wuya, gently taking Tala's hand off of her arm, "Get some sleep, and I'll explain everything the next time we meet."

Tala let her go, watching Wuya disappear into the night. The candle that had provided the light for them fizzled out without its mistress to keep the flame alive.

All that could be heard was the sound of crickets singing their songs in the summer night after the darkness settled, and Tala knew that she was once again alone.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade. **

_Fifteen_ Strings Attached_

Chase leapt up from his beginning crouch and struck the other boy's blocking arm with his elbow. His opponent's leg gave way when Chase collided his knee with the back of the boy's leg, giving the other fighter no room to escape or strike back.

The boy's defensive stance wobbled and Chase bent low for the finishing strike to the kneecap of the leg he had struck, causing his opponent to fall to the ground. The gong rang. Chase backed away to bow at his breathless adversary, smiling smugly.

"How annoying."

From the among the pink puffs and slim, green leaves of the mimosa tree standing in an adjacent courtyard, Wuya watched the monks' sparring with a critical eye. The larger boy stood, accepting the hand Chase offered to him, earning an eyeroll and a huff from the witch. If she were him, Wuya would have punched that brat in the face for beating her to the low blow.

"What did I tell you, Wuya?" The confident swell of Hannibal's accent thinly veiled the venom beneath his words, "Chase is as strong as they come. Merciless too. Not even his friends are safe from his ambition to become the greatest warrior to ever live."

"I dunno," argued Wuya, sneering at the thought, "I'm still rooting for ponytail."

"His name is Guan," reminded the bean, "You should take the time to learn more about the other monks. It's a good idea to keep tabs on your enemies once in a while."

"I don't care," she said, "They'll all be dead once I'm through with them, anyway."

"Getting to know your enemies, their strengths and desires, means that you also get to know their weaknesses," Hannibal told her, side-eyeing the witch with a grotesque smile, "Even just knowing their names before they know yours can give you the upper hand. Keeps them guessing, if you know what I mean."

Wuya leaned onto her elbows, nearly falling asleep to the drearily melodic sound of his voice, stifling a yawn. "I still don't care," she mumbled.

Bored with the lecture, Wuya let her gaze wander back to the two sparring boys. This time, it was ponytail who had the advantage. They had taken to spears now, and his larger size gave the other kid a better downstrike. She smirked when Chase blocked the blow with his staff, not looking too pleased.

"Fine," clipped Hannibal, "Have it your way. Don't say that I never tried to steer you away from the guideless path of brute force."

"My style of evil is just fine," Wuya grumbled.

"I'm only saying that it's sometimes smart to think it forward instead of just charging head on," Hannibal pointed out.

"I know you're calling me stupid, Bean," harrumped Wuya, "Don't even try to cover it up with your pretty words. Just because my methods differ from yours, that doesn't mean I don't know what I'm doing."

Hannibal's silence was enough to tell Wuya that he begged to differ.

"Speaking of thinking I'm stupid," she told him, inspecting her nails, "I know that you ratted me out to Chase."

Wuya didn't even bother to look at Hannibal, letting that sink in to his wrinkly, old brain. She picked at some dirt under her nails and waited for the hissing snake to give his slimy answer, but Hannibal's chuckles began to fill the void where the silence had been.

"You think this is funny," Wuya accused, glaring at Hannibal as his soft amusement morphed into harsh laughter.

Wuya folded her arms, waiting for the old goat to catch his breath.

"Excuse me for laughing, Wuya," apologized the bean with smile still threatening to burst, "but the irony is is too much."

"What irony?" snapped Wuya, "You said that we were in this together! What the hell are you doing sneaking around behind my back?"

"The irony is that I know you've been keeping secrets from me, too," Hannibal explained, giving her a pleased flash of his rotted teeth, "Who'd've thunk we'd both seize the chance to gain the upper hand against each other?"

Sheepishly playing innocent, Wuya batted her eyelashes. "Why, whatever are you talking about?"

"The other night," Hannibal reminded her, oddly enough, with a smile of appreciation, "in Tala's room. You told her about the prophecy before I gave you the go-ahead. Now_, who's_ sneaking behind _whose_ back?"

Wuya rolled her eyes, huffing. "Oh come off it, Bean," she clipped, "Your spying is really starting to get annoying. Besides, I went ahead because I overheard you telling Chase that Tala was meeting with me. This is your own mess."

"It was a part of the plan," he answered, just a little too calmly.

"You never told _me_ that part of the plan," Wuya accused, clenching her hand when the flaring heat of her magic leapt up into her fingertips, determined to unleash her anger.

"Well, lucky for you," said Hannibal, placing his tentacles upon what Wuya assumed were his hips, "I was planning on telling you to go forward with her, anyway."

"You know," said Wuya, "The kid said something interesting about the prophecy when I let her in on it."

"Oh?" asked Hannibal, raising a hairless eyebrow, the lines of suspicion and doubt wrinkling the folds of his face.

"She mentioned that the Crown symbolizes parts of Yang: physical strength, aggression, conquering, and that the Pearl could also symbolize Yin: the mind, defense and magic."

"Your point?" asked Bean, skeptically.

"Tala doesn't think the prophecy is calling for a world rule, like we were lead to believe. She thinks that they could be the essence of Yin and Yang."

"She's a child," scoffed Hannibal, "Your chickadee knows nothing. However, she is on the right track. They are both masculine and feminine, but the truth is that these two warriors are meant to pave the way toward human enlightenment, leading them into a brighter future."

"Too bad for the apes," snorted Wuya, "we'll be using those kids to wipe them out, instead."

Hannibal smiled with agreement. "Tell Tala this," he said, "The Crown and Pearl _are_ meant to act as a balance, just as she thinks. But, leave it at that. The girl's mind will do the rest for you."

"The rest of what?"

"With the knowledge of the Crown and Pearl in her head," answered Hannibal smugly, "Tala will become jumpy enough to rouse Chase's suspicions and set our plans against the Xiaolin Temple into motion. Especially, since she's been hiding her secret of meeting you for this long."

"What?" squawked Wuya, "How is Chase being suspicious of her going to help us? We want them to like each other!"

"It's simple, really," assured Hannibal, smiling, " To build a new city, one must first destroy the old ruins that lay before it, paving the way for progress. After all, you need to pluck a few weeds before reaping the harvest. We need them to start over, so-to-speak."

"They're going to hate each other," Wuya warned, folding her arms across her stomach.

"They already do, if you haven't noticed," corrected the bean, looking back toward the Training Sands, "Besides, your girl has been a little too distracted lately, and it's not just because you've been keeping her up at night. Look."

Wuya's gaze joined his. Her eyes rested upon Tala, as small as a flea compared to the other three Xiaolin warriors. Only a speck of dust, really. It was pathetic. '_My genes are wasted,_' she thought, '_I should never have left it to Shi-Ahn to further our species_.'

Tala was sitting beside the tall, bald one. They were sitting on a bench not too far off from where Chase and ponytail sparred, sheltering themselves from the sun beneath an old tallow tree. Wuya thought that Tala would be focusing on the fight, but her wide and cat-like eyes were practically nailed to her feet.

Tala was playing with the tail end of one of her braids, nervously scooting away from the boy next to her. Such ugly, little things. Wuya wanted to march right down there and cut them off!

Wuya shook her head. '_No, wait, Wuya, focus_.'

Blinking to rid herself of the idea, Wuya looked more closely at Tala's fidgeting feet and restless eyes. '_Now, what is that old goat talking abou_-'

There it was. That shy smile. Tala leaned away from the boy and yet stayed close enough to allow him to whisper something into her ear. The way she giggled with a red blush darkening her cheeks covering her mouth with a tiny hand…

"Oh," Wuya mumbled, and burst into a guffaw when she made the connection,"OH! Haha!"

Wuya erupted with laughter, ignoring her partner's aggravated sigh. The witch giggled so hard that she nearly lost her balance, disturbing the Ying Ying bird enough to make it lift its wings to keep steady.

"Heaven's above, kid!" Wuya cackled, "If you _had_ to pick somebody, you could have at least gone for the pretty one!"

She recovered herself when Hannibal cleared his throat to steal back her attention. "If you've regained your composure," he said, "then, I'd like to explain the plan that you were just so avidly complaining about a minute ago."

"Pretty boy has competition!" she screeched, "In your face, Bean! I told you that she'd never go for him!"

"Yes, a nip from the love bug is the case with our dear chickadee," said Hannibal bitterly, "Just toward the wrong person."

The callousness of his voice was smoothed over by the quickness of a smile, "But that's not really my focus. Not entirely."

Coming down from the height of her laughter, with the remnants of giggles still clinging to life, Wuya asked, "So, then why point it out to me?"

The cruelty masked by his chuckle sent a shiver down Wuya's spine, snuffing out what was still left of her her good mood. With a curling, gruesome smile, Hannibal told her, "In order for Tala to trust us, we must be sure that she is cut off from every other person she could possibly care about. She needs to feel alone."

Wuya's shoulders stiffened. With wide eyes and ice in her veins, Wuya asked, "You don't mean,"

Hannibal Bean's smile curled wider. "I do."

Swallowing down her panic, Wuya reasoned, "Now, now, we have to be careful about this. If Tala is discovered and no one's there to help her, she could be killed! We have to make sure that your kid doesn't say or do anything stupid when he outs her to the Grand Master!"

"Don't worry, Wuya," Hannibal assured her calmly, "The Masters are at an impasse when it comes to our Pearl, remember? Grand Master Wei needs Tala for his own agenda. _He'll _forgive her quickly. The other monks, however,"

Wuya's dread turned into thrilling hope, slowly drawing out a smile. "If her own teammates won't trust her, then,"

Hannibal finished her sentence with a knowing chuckle, "She'll have no choice but to come to us_._"

* * *

The summer stars flickered like fireflies. Those that dared enough to draw close to the full moon were swallowed up by its brightness. It hung heavy, like a pearl suspended by a string, lighting up the courtyard with its regal presence.

The willow's white flowers reflected the moon's gaze, shimmering as they swayed in the wind. They carried down their light perfume, setting into the hair of the two monks meditating together side by side.

Chase smirked when he heard Tala sigh. He felt her body shift beside him, easing the tension of the air between them. His stomach skipped, realizing the he could feel Tala's warmth. It was an odd, pleasant feeling that always caught him by surprise whenever he felt that she was just a little too close. Not that he ever minded. Chase was glad for the company.

He opened his eyes and closed his position, ready to begin the night's training. Tala joined Chase as he spun to his feet. He offered her a steady arm when she wobbled, jarring like the rattle of a boiling pot. Tala took his offer with a gripping force, crumpling Chase's sleeve between her fingers.

Her nails bit his skin beneath the light fabric when she leaned into him for support, making Chase stiffen. Chase had to brace himself to keep them both from falling, to which Tala mumbled a shy "Sorry."

"Are you dizzy?" he asked, helping Tala to stand back upright.

Tala kept her head down, letting her curls fall over her face like a black veil. "I can train," she insisted thinly.

"I'd rather you not," said Chase, "You look like you're about to faint."

Tala snapped her head up, eyes as round and as white as the moon hovering behind her. "The assessments are a week away!" she cried, "Please, don't make me leave early!"

Chase felt sorry for her. Tala's cheeks were puffy from her lack of sleep, reminding him of the kid that he had tackled underneath this very tree. She looked just as scared too, her wide eyes shining with tears. Her lids instantly drooped, just as alarming as they were amusing, convincing Chase that Tala needed to rest, not practice her magic. It was enough to make his heart sink.

"I promise that I'll take it easy," insisted Tala, her mouth full of porridge, as it always sounded whenever she grew upset.

Chase smiled and cupped her face in his hands. "You're going to do just fine without the extra night, Tala," he told her, "I promise."

"Let me stay," she demanded, her words trilling with a regretful sound that he knew all too well, "Please."

Chase sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Fine," he bargained, "We'll do some light stances, but for no more than an hour. Promise me you'll go to bed after that, okay?"

Tala nodded, though the jerking motion looked more like a fisher's hook being snagged rather than an agreement.

'_She's going to die on me_,' thought Chase, '_I know it_.'

"Okay," he told her, backing away with hands raised, ready to catch Tala should she fall. She, surprisingly, stayed steady on her feet.

Chase crouched into the Horse stance, elegantly gliding into the Warrior form, and waited as Tala followed suit at a turtle's pace.

"Are you ready?" he asked, about to take back his promise and send the poor girl straight to bed.

"Yes," she answered, stifling a yawn.

"Are you sure?" he prodded, unable to help the toothy grin. He felt slightly guilty for it, but watching Tala wobble like that rose a chuckle into his chest.

Tala's second yawn nearly knocked her off balance, answering the question for her. Chase closed his stance, rising back to his feet. "Yeah, no," he said, "We aren't doing this, tonight. You won't survive."

With a frustrated growl, Tala closed her stance, stamping her foot with it. "I can do it!" she argued, "Let me practice with you!"

"No," snapped Chase, putting his own foot down, "I refuse to be responsible for your death."

"Oh, stop being dramatic," Tala dismissed, her accent grinding with the gritty thickness of exhaustion, "Wuya said-"

She cut herself short, but it was too late. Chase's ears caught the word, the strangeness of it ringing clear in his mind. His stomach dropped. '_Wuya?_'

Tala stared at him, mouth hanging wide. She was choking on her own voice, only able to let out the straining squeak of an "Ahh-"

"_Wuya _said?" asked Chase, a shiver gripping his stiff shoulders, "Who's Wuya?"

"Wud'gya!" cried Tala, "Wud'gya say that you'd be dying if you were in my position, too!"

"Tala,"

She was so wound up that her face looked like an apple, round and red, shining with frustrated tears running down its sides.

"My accent gets really bad when I'm tired, right?" she insisted, nearly hollering, "I haven't slept, so my speech slurs! _Mar sin stoptar suas díreach! _Besides, you train twice as hard as I do, you hypocrite! I'm just not as used to it! You know that!"

Tala blatantly began to cry, sputtering out more and more unfamiliar words between her childish blubbering. Chase couldn't help it this time. He burst into laughter, doubling over when his sides began to cramp.

Tala began to cry harder, yelling out at least one familiar word, telling him to stop. It only made Chase laugh harder. He pulled the sobbing, angry girl into a hug, having the best giggle fit that he'd had in months.

"Okay, okay," he said, though his attempts to calm Tala down were thwarted by the bubbles of laughter still holding his chest captive, "I believe you. You seriously need some sleep!"

Tala shuddered, letting out a high-pitched whine. The sharpness of it was muffled by Chase's chest, diluted to a quieted mewl.

"You don't have to apologize," he assured Tala, patting her back, "We're cool."

Her words were smothered by his hug, but Chase was pretty sure she said, "I wasn't apologizing."

She had said it rather loudly, too, since her voice vibrated through his chest. He sniggered and squeezed Tala a bit more tightly. "Poor baby," he cooed, "Witches have it tough."

"Shut up," she mumbled, pushing away from him.

Chase was a little reluctant to let go, but allowed Tala to move. He let his hands linger on her back which, though her shoulders were still a bit stiff, she didn't seem to entirely mind for once.

Tala looked at him through heavy lids, swollen from her tears. There was still a shine over the silver, reminding him of a mirror's reflection, but for the most part Tala's tears had dried. She just looked so _odd_.

Honestly, Chase wasn't used to seeing girls cry. Why would they? They were so ugly doing it! Tala was no exception. Her squishy, red face reminded him of an overripe tomato with a nose.

Chase shook his head, trying not to laugh, but it didn't work. He turned away, covering his mouth as giggles overtook him again.

"Oi!" Tala complained, "Stop laughing at me!"

She hit Chase's shoulder so weakly, that it was hardly the swipe of a kitten's paw. He backed away from her, bursting into laughter again. "You're so pathetic," he wheezed, "it's adorable! You're like a little, wet noodle!"

"You're an ass!" Tala shouted, kicking his shin.

"Ow!" Chase protested, "Hey!"

"You are so insensitive!" Tala hollered, trying to beat him with her fists. She was off balance when she tried to get at him and fell, tripping over her own ankles.

Chase caught Tala's wrists before she could topple into him. Tala ripped herself away, rubbing where he had grabbed her. "Ass," she snarled bitterly.

"Who's Wuya?"

"No one," Tala answered, "I already told you. It was my-"

"Your accent," snapped Chase, "Yeah."

Tala looked away, holding her arms closely to her chest. She looked so small, curling into herself like that, so breakable. It really was pathetic.

Chase wanted to reach out and hug her again. His palms practically itched with the memory of her heat on them. But, against the rising guilt within himself, he didn't. Chase just stood there silently, watching Tala walk toward the wall crack.

"I always wanted to run away, you know," she said. Her voice scratching like boots upon gravel.

"Through there?" Chase asked, forcing a smile onto his face, "You're so small that you could probably fit no problem."

"I often dreamt of climbing through it and never looking back." Tala turned to look at Chase, peeking around the waves of her curls from over her shoulder and said, "Especially when I first met you."

"Gee," snorted Chase, "thanks."

Tala narrowed her eyes. "It's not a joke," she said, "I still do, sometimes."

Tala turned her back on him again. Chase barely heard her when she whispered, "I've never felt welcome here. Everyone either sees me as a child or wants to use me for their own gain."

She had him there.

Chase scratched the back of his neck, watching Tala as she stood silhouetted against the moonlight. The crickets sung their song, lightening the heaviness of the mood that had settled upon his shoulders. He focused on them, swallowing down the nausea that decided to dance around his stomach with a giddy, painful kick. His shin was still sore, too.

Chase sighed. "You should go to bed," he suggested, "We aren't going to do anything tonight, so you should forget the training."

"I really wish that you would stop treating me like a child," said Tala, finally looking at him again.

She was so serious, standing there with her arms crossed and her eyebrows narrowed. A halo of white moonbeams illuminated her hair from behind, adding a strange reflection of light to her already beady, piercing eyes. Tala actually looked a bit grown up, for once.

"You are a child," he said, more convincing himself than her.

"I'm thirteen," she reminded him, "I'm of legal marrying age, now."

Chase scoffed. "Really," he asked, "Are you _sure_ you haven't miscounted your birthdays?"

"I've only just turned thirteen," she admitted, rejoining his side, "but I've grown."

Chase guessed that she was giving up,finally listening to him. Tala was finally going to take care of herself, and he would be getting his way, so why was he feeling so unsatisfied?

Chase masked his inward frown with an outward smile. He hooked his arm around Tala's neck, and the two began to walk toward the courtyard gate.

"Whatever, small fry," snickered Chase, "You're going to have to grow a little taller before anybody asks to marry you."

"And you'll have to learn some manners before anybody agrees to marry _you_," she shot back.

"Hey," Chase laughed, "I have plenty of girls lined up waiting for me to ask them!"

"Probably because they don't know you well enough,"

Chase had to hand it to her. Even when she was exhausted, Tala was sharp-tongued.

He lead her out of the gate, lingering under the light of the lantern-lit path. The trees had grown thick with summer leaves, making it harder for the stars to look down on them from the black sky. Only a handful of the twinkling specks made their way through the canopy, poking holes through the leaves and criss-cross of bamboo to spy on the giggling friends as they sauntered down the path together.

However, there was only one pair of stars that Chase cared about. They looked at him through Tala's tactful eyes, finally glimmering with sleepiness and laughter instead of tears. Past her flashy teeth and a bold guffaw at one of his jokes, Chase could see a dimness to them. He knew that look. He had seen it in the mirror plenty of times to know that Tala was holding something back.

Who _was_ Wuya? Blaming Tala's accent was just a little too convenient, that was for sure. Still, he would rather that Hannibal Bean be wrong about her. She couldn't possibly be clever enough to hold up such a ruse for months on end without a slip up before tonight. She was just a kid, after all.

'_No_,' he corrected himself, '_not a kid. She just looks like one_.'

Tala waved her goodbye when her apartment came into sight. Chase lifted a hand in acknowledgement, feeling the slow crawl of a shiver prickle its way up the back of his neck. She looked a little hesitant, skittish even. Chase turned his suspicion inward, keeping his face cheerful, when he realized that Tala was waiting for him to leave.

Chase knew that Tala would watch him until he was out of sight. He waited until he had rounded the corner back toward the main courtyard to veer off to the left back path that circled Tala's apartment. Tala, however, had completely disappeared from the apartment's main path when Chase made his way back around through the thick lining of bamboo.

Chase caught a flash of her yellow robes darting between the trees on a narrower path, adjacent to the one he was on. He silently mirrored her, keeping to the shadows, lucky that the road he was on had much less lighting than hers did.

Chase's heart leapt into his throat when he followed Tala back to their willow tree courtyard. Watching her from the bamboo, he whispered, "Don't you walk through that wall crack, Tala. Please, _please_ don't go through that wall crack!"

She hadn't picked up on his begging. Tala made a beeline for the crack's wide opening, wearing the same feral look of a fox entering a hen house.

"Okay, Chase, calm down," he told himself, "Maybe she just forgot something."

Oh, who was he kidding? The only thing Tala ever brought with her anywhere was that weird fan she always took to sparring sessions at the Training Sands!

Tala looked over her shoulder, her eyes wide and paranoid, looking for any signs of being followed. Then, to Chase's fury and surprise, a light, small and blue, flickered and began to pulsate in her hand. "Are you kidding me?!" he hissed, "Really?!"

Tala ducked under the wall crack and darted out of sight, her hair whipping behind her like a lizard's tail.

Chase raked his fingers down his face, desperately fighting against the urge to claw out his own eyes with frustration. "Tala, _noooo_," he groaned.

The nauseating prickles of dread began to burn like acid in his stomach, purifying it into anger. So, Hannibal Bean was right. Tala _was _learning from a witch! She was only pretending to not have any more knowledge of magic to keep him in the dark! After she had promised to teach him everything she knows!

Tala not only lied to Chase, but broke her promise to help him. Tala knew that he needed magic to keep the Shoku position in his future. She knew that he needed to impress the Grand Master! How could she do this to him? Chase poured his heart out to her, and she didn't care! After everything they had been through together, why was she still keeping secrets?!

"_Tala,_" he snarled, stepping out from the sheltering shadows of the bamboo shafts.

* * *

"I have something to tell you,"

Wuya wasn't listening. She was too busy juggling a few rocks above her head, flicking them into the air one by one with a twist of her finger, making them dance for her. She was sprawled on top of a flat-faced boulder beside the river back, lounging idly.

"Wuya," Tala tried again, "I need to talk to you."

"So talk," Wuya finally answered, leaning back to stare up at the night's sky. Tala could hardly imagine why. The canopy above them covered all but a hand's count of the stars, despite it being a clear, warm night.

"I think," Tala hesitated, preparing herself for Wuya's inevitable blow out from the bad news, "I think Chase might…"

"You think Chase might what?"

Accepting that her life was over beyond this point, Tala decided to go out with her dignity intact. Sighing, she confessed with surprising ease, "I think Chase has found out about you."

Wuya sat upright so quickly that Tala felt dizzy for her. Tala squared her shoulders, preparing for an explosion of the witch's fury, but silence only followed. Tala waited for the strike. She waited...waited… and waited some more.

Nothing. Just the stones clattering to the boulder with the lack of Wuya's magic suspending them.

Somehow, this was worse than the fury Tala was expecting. Wuya stared at Tala with unblinking eyes, looking just a bit more green through the odd glint of light bouncing off of them from an inward fire. The remainder of her face was blank, giving Wuya's eerie stare the limelight as she stared Tala down with the heavy weight of unspoken thoughts.

Then finally, quietly, the witch spoke. "Really,"

"I accidentally told him."

Wuya's eyebrows met, but the anger did not touch her eyes as fiercely as Tala thought it would. "_Really_?"

"In my defense," growled Tala, feeling _very_ defensive, "If you were not always keeping me awake just to have me hang around you while you play with _floating rocks,_ I would not have been exhausted enough to slip your name."

"My name?"

Wuya burst into a harsh cackle. "Really?" she laughed, "That's all?"

"That's _all_?" echoed Tala, ringing the frayed ends of her hair in her hands, "I had to circle around three times in order to be sure that Chase would not be able to follow me, and all you can say is '_that's all_?' I'm still pulling the twigs from my hair!"

Tala presented the leaf she had just discovered hidden among her horribly tangled curls. Her fingers stung with fire so badly, that she thought the leaf would turn to ash in her hand from the painful prickling of it. Orange glided along Tala's tongue, sending a stab of panic into her chest.

"Yeah," scoffed Wuya, her half-lidded eyes dimming from boredom, "that's all. You need to learn not to take yourself so seriously, kiddo. We're fine! Besides, with that accent of yours, he probably just brushed it off. It's hard enough to understand you as it is. My name's not all that common."

"Yes," said Tala, forcing herself to calm down, "I did tell him it was because I'm tired. He didn't seem to believe me at first, but-"

"Then, there you go."

Wuya stretched, straightening her back and reaching her arms to the sky with a loud yawn. She jumped down from the rock, her bare feet alighting onto the lush grass silently. Wuya smiled at Tala, holding out her arms as if to embrace her.

Tala's glower flicked from Wuya's open arms to her face. Far too tired for this, and far too paranoid, Tala told her aunt with a gritty bite, "I'm not so convinced."

Wuya dropped her arms, sighing angrily. "Okay, fine," she snapped, "turn yourself into a worrying wreck! It's not like you don't have a master sorceress around to teach you how to cloak yourself with magic! It's not like she's been training you on how to defend yourself for months! _Or_, for that matter, how to stay undetected in plain sight! Take my word for it, Tala, we're fine! Criminy, kid, how long is it going to take for you to trust me? It's not like I am holding anything back from you!"

"That's a flat out lie," Tala clipped, folding her arms. She bit her tongue to keep the yawn bubbling at the back of her throat from escaping. It lifted her shoulders into a heaving sigh anyway, and Tala's vision began to blur. Chase was right. She seriously needed to sleep.

Wuya spun around, her eyes as feral as a startled cat's. Everything about Wuya became sharp, from her claw-like fingers to her stiff, hunched shoulders. "Excuse me?" seethed the witch, "_What_?"

"The prophecy," said Tala, smirking in spite of her sleep-deprived agitation, "You simply ran off after telling me about it without explaining anything."

Wuya bit her lower lip, looking wildly livid. Her eyes were so wide that Tala could see the pure whites of them from where she stood.

"You're hiding something," Tala accused, "Tell me."

Wuya unwound her clenching muscles like a snake, and hissed just as any self-respecting serpent would, "I was about to before you started whining about your boyfriend."

"For the last time," Tala insisted, her hands burning once again, "Chase is not my boyfriend! He's hardly even my _friend_!"

"Yeah, yeah," said Wuya, waving away Tala's words like a terrible smell, "I forgot. You'd rather go for the tall, lanky types."

The fire in Tala's hands snuffed out, leaving the prickly feeling of panic, like needles, sharply pushing up against the surface of her fingertips. "What are you talking about?" she muttered, quickly.

Wuya's smile became wolfish. Wagging her eyebrows, she teased, "Oh, you know _exactly_ what I'm talking about."

The heat that was once itching her palms clawed its way up Tala's neck and clambered across her cheeks. She knew about Dashi. "How did you-"

"It's an acquired taste, really," said Wuya, inspecting her nails. A sly smile pinched the corners of her cheeks when she added, "I prefer men with a little more spice to them, myself."

"Don't change the subject!" Tala demanded, sputtering with embarrassment, "Tell me about the prophecy."

"_Alriiiight_," groaned Wuya, "Calm down. Jeez, can't you tell when someone's kidding?"

"Yes," snapped Tala, "I just don't care for it. Now, the prophecy, if you'd please."

"Ask away."

"Why did you leave so suddenly, the other night?"

Wuya huffed, rolling her eyes. "I needed to go away and think about it," she explained, "I prefer to be alone when I figure things out."

"And, did you?"

Wuya's sour frown lightened into a vaguely insincere smile. "You were right," said the witch, "What a clever girl, you are. The Crown and Pearl _are _a symbol of balance. They are meant to restore harmony between light and darkness."

"I see."

Tala's gaze dropped. She was right, so why did she suddenly feel so uneasy? Tala wrung her hands together, playing with the hem of her cloth robe.

"Look, kiddo," said Wuya, "I'm not going to tell you that you won't be a queen if you are the Pearl. After all, the prophecy is clear about the two warriors leading the world into a new order. I'm only saying that your guess could be hitting the mark way closer than mine and your mom's. So, smile! Be happy! You were right. Rejoice!"

Tala looked at Wuya, unable to mask how tired she felt this time. Her cheeks were weighted, exposing a glower as they dragged down the rest of her face. "I'm tired," she mumbled hollowly.

Wuya's confident smile dropped into an uncharacteristic frown of concern. She looked away from Tala, rubbing her arms against the non-existent chill. "You should," she said, before heaving a sigh and meeting Tala's eyes with her own tiredness, "You should head back, now. Dawn's coming."

Tala did not bother to say goodbye.

* * *

Just as Wuya had said, the rays of dawn, a fleshy pink, clawed their way up the side of the Three Hills, only just barely lifting its yellow head over the horizon line of the trees. Tala looked back to the forest, scanning the still-black shadows for any signs of Wuya, but gave up and let the light wind usher her down the hillside with its gentle hands.

The sky had turned blue by the time Tala had reached the wall crack. All of the energy within her had been spent. Her hollow back and lead-filled legs barely just held her together as Tala bent down to climb through.

She ducked her head, being sure not to snag any stray curls on the shattered brick.

"I guess I really underestimated you."

Tala's heart stopped. The curtain of black had left her unaware that she wasn't alone. It fell away from her eyes, as Tala slowly lifted her head, meeting a pair of ocher eyes that glared at her from underneath the willow tree.

Awashed in the glow of the rising sun, Chase's eyes flared orange. They flickered as menacingly as a burning pyre. Tala saw herself, screaming as the flames engulfed her, in their murderous shine.

Her mouth ran dry. "Chase,"

The hateful grimace of his mouth was enough to convince Tala of her fate. Chase pushed his leaning back off of the branch. She could practically see Chase's rage buzzing around them like wasps, invisible in their vengeance. Tala knew better not to struggle, but cried out when he snatched her arm, twisting it with his fury.

"Shut up!" Chase hissed, "_Don't._ Draw. Attention."

With the harshest voice Tala never thought he had, Chase growled into her ear, "We need to talk."

* * *

**Irish Gaelic translation:**

'_Mar sin stoptar suas díreach_!'- So just shut up!


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade. **

_Sixteen_ Enemies On All Sides_

The Grand Master's eyes were as cold as the statues that surrounded the Great Hall. The mirror of their shine reflected Tala's terrified face as clearly as the jade floor did their silhouettes. Tala was frozen, only able to claw at Chase's digging fingers around her upper arm with a shaking hand.

Grand Master Wei kept his weighty stare upon Tala while dismissing the other Elders with a flick of his wrist. One by one, each of the old men disappeared through the double doors beyond the center point statue. Only Master Yaozu, the glimmer of worry poking relentlessly through the withered skin around his eyes, delayed his departure with a half-breath's hesitation.

Now, only the three were left standing in the middle of the Dragon's Circle steps, both the eyes of the Grand Master and Chase heaping burning coals of judgement upon Tala's shoulders.

"Why have you brought her here, young monk?"

Though the Grand Master had asked Chase the question, the full brunt of his anger was directed at the girl shrinking and shuddering under the slowly increasing pressure of Chase's painful grip on her arm. Tala lowered her eyes from Grand Master Wei, unable to bear the hatred in them any longer. Not while Chase's nails were biting into her skin.

Chase roughly forced Tala forward, being sure to yank her back enough to be trapped between both him and the Grand Master.

"Tala Bao is a traitor," said Chase. The sound of Tala's name was grinding in her own ears, too harsh for Tala to resist a wince.

The Grand Master's stare was unblinking. The dim candlelight bounced off of his black eyes in piercing pinpricks, sharp needles sticking into Tala's heart. "How so?" he asked.

"I saw her sneaking off last night," Chase told the Grand Master, his voice thinly shaking with anger, "Tala summoned some sort of light into her hand and snuck through the wall crack in west courtyard, wielding magic that neither you nor I have seen her use before. I suspect that she's been meeting another witch."

The Grand Master's eyes did not move from Tala's face. She tried her best not to cower, but the shudder racking her spine stiffened Tala's shoulders.

"Show me," ordered Grand Master Wei, keeping his heavy gaze steady upon her, "Let me see this light of yours."

Chase squeezed his hand around Tala's arm. She instinctively jerked away from the pain, but her violent yank only earned more restraint from Chase's fingers, now burning her skin like tightened rope.

The only notice of Tala's distress shown by the Grand Master was in the darting of his eyes from her face to Chase's hand. They lingered on her arm for a breath's moment until he backed away, instructing Chase to release her with a nod of his head.

Tala staggered forward, tripping on her ankles. She caught herself, wide eyes watching the glint of the Grand Master's stare turn from its frightening pinpricks of light to… something else.

She choked on her own breath, trying not to panic.

"Show me," instructed the Grand Master again, the white whip of his beard bobbing with the emphasis of his words.

Tala straightened herself. She began to count, touching her fingers to her thumbs silently, allowing her breath to catch up. Tala tried to keep herself grounded and calm, but her heart quickened, thudding against her skin when the patience in the Grand Master's eyes began to rapidly wane.

Tala held her breath and flicked her wrist up to meet the middle of her chest. With the crack of the bone came a blue light, filling her palm and clawed fingers. It pulsated quickly, mocking Tala's heart, which had now decided to drag its panic up into the base of her throat.

Tala heard Chase gasp behind her. Biting her lower lip, she shyly looked over her shoulder to meet his eyes. Chase's glare was malicious, filled with fire and coal, but still Tala hoped that he could someday forgive her.

"Is this all you can do, Tala?" Grand Master Wei's sudden voice refocused her attention back to him.

"No," she confessed, flicking her wrist again to be rid of her pulsing orb. Tala replaced it, upon the wave of the gray dispersing smoke, with her beautiful fan. She twirled it twice, then closed it and bowed, presenting the black wood to the Grand Master. Tala could only hope that she looked as humble and as sorry as she could be.

When the weight of the closed fan gently left Tala's hands, she lifted her head. With a soft snap, Grand Master Wei gingerly opened the fan, reverently holding each half of the wood in his hands.

The golden, bladed edge of the red silk mirrored Tala's quivering chin. She began to play with her hands, digging her thumbnail into the side of her index finger as she watched the Grand Master's eyes widen with each second he inspected the fan.

"Where did you get this?" he asked. Grand Master Wei's voice sounded haunted, plagued by ghosts and dark spirits. It sent a chill between Tala's shoulders.

"I created it," Tala explained quietly, "from a leaf bigger than my palm."

"When?"

"Months ago," she answered a bit more boldly, "when winter still held the forest. The leaves had all browned and fallen."

Frighteningly, the Grand Master looked at Tala. "This is a warrior's fan," he told her, "plated with steel and meant for close combat. You mean to tell me that you have created this deadly weapon with your magic?"

"Yes, Grand Master," Tala answered, again bowing in the hopes that he would not see her as a threat.

"Who is she?"

Tala lifted her face, but wished that she hadn't. The look in the Grand Master's eyes both paralyzed and muted her. The stone-like mask had fallen and shattered. In its wake was hatred, swallowing all light from his eyes into the blackest pitch Tala had ever seen.

"Who was the witch that taught you this?" the Grand Master demanded again, raising his voice, "_WHO IS SHE_?"

Tala jumped, instantly feeling the heavy warmth of Chase's hands on her shoulders.

"I have reason to suspect that it is the witch we had heard of roaming the nearby countryside during the early winter," Chase said, coming to Tala's rescue when she could not speak fast enough.

However, even the soothing of his voice was not enough. It only earned a horrendously dark glower from the Grand Master, pure and vile.

"I don't care what you _suspect,_ boy," Grand Master Wei hissed before turning his hatred back onto Tala, "Give me the witch's name, or so help me, the Cycle will no longer be able to save you from the fire. Do I make myself clear?"

Chase's hands tightened around Tala's shoulders, pulling her closer to him. But, now was not the time for Tala to be protected by her guardian. She lifted his hands from her and boldly stepped back forward, meeting the Grand Master's eyes, and telling him with bravery, "Wuya. Her name is Wuya."

The black hatred in the Grand Master's eyes dissolved, and the suspicious light returned. Recomposing himself as quickly as he had lost himself, Grand Master Wei told her, "Now, was that so hard to say?"

The Grand Master's grim mouth could not hide the shining of victory in his gloating eyes, now glossy. "Yes, I've heard of Wuya," he added, "She was the one who had stripped the magic of the Xiaolin Warriors long ago. What a morning, honestly, that fate would reveal itself to us like this. Surely, this _is_ the time to reclaim what is rightfully ours."

"Master," Chase interjected, "You aren't suggesting that we _attack_ Wuya, are you? If this is the witch that stole the Xiaolin Dragons' magic three hundred years ago, how can we, four powerless monks, hope to defeat her?"

The Grand Master smiled. "But, we are _not _powerless," he said, eyes now lingering upon Tala with benevolence.

"Grand Master," Tala warned, "I might as well be as powerless as the boys. My aunt is a Master Sorceress, and I am just as much a novice in magic as I am the martial arts! Do not ask me to face her in battle, please!"

"Your aunt?" The creeping of the Grand Master's smile sent the blood rushing from Tala's face.

Tala swallowed the breath that caught her voice. "Yes," she answered, "my aunt."

"Heaven is smiling upon us, then," he told her, "You are Wuya's blood, a part of her clan. As most witches would, it is likely that she will stop at nothing to keep you at her side."

"You don't know her like I know her, sir," said Tala, "Wuya doesn't care much for anyone or anything."

"A witch without a clan is like a rabid dog," said the Grand Master, "Deadly, unpredictable, but very vulnerable. She will want you with her, if only to become even more powerful. One witch is a terror, but worse, an entire coven is devastating. Even two witches and their magic combined would mean certain death for any unlucky enough to be caught in their way."

Tala remembered how her magic had mixed with Wuya's, her cinnamon mingling with Tala's orange. It was overwhelming, it was terrifying, and it was only a small spell compared to what Wuya had promised her. Tala shuddered at the thought of their magic harmonizing together again, and next time taking lives with it.

Grand Master Wei reached a hand out to pat Tala's shoulder, snapping her out of the memory. "That is why you must continue to learn from her," he told Tala, black eyes softly smiling, "At least for the next fortnight. Gain Wuya's trust, lead her in, and the men shall take care of the rest."

"You want me to be bait for her," Tala sneered. Heat flashed into her hands instantly. Her fingers itched to tear off his beard, but Tala forced herself to stay calm, biting her nails into the grooves of her palms to quell the fire.

"Was this not your own plot, young one?" asked the Grand Master, the audacious gleam in his eyes making Tala want to spit at him, "I can hardly believe that you were sincere in your motives for siding with such a dark creature."

Yes it was, but still hatred ached in Tala's belly. He had overrun Tala in her own game, stealing her next move and the only leverage she had to keep herself alive. It sent prickles of painful heat surging from her fingers to her shoulders.

Chase shepherded Tala behind him, glaring at the Grand Master. "You can't just use Tala as bait," he said, "If this witch finds out that Tala betrayed her, Tala could die."

"I assure you, young monk," answered Grand Master Wei, grinning, "if Tala does not agree to this, she will."

Chase positioned himself to block Tala from the Grand Master, sending an embarrassed fluster of heat up her neck. Tala bit her cheek to keep from screaming.

"No," Chase growled, "she won't."

"Are you challenging me?" asked Grand Master Wei, still smiling, "You should choose your battles wisely. One girl is not worth risking your future, now is she? After all, should you become Shoku, you will also one day be in my position. As Grand Master, you will be looking back on the decisions you've made this day as the turning point in your career. Tell me, Chase, do you want to begin your legacy by ridding the world of a monster or to end it prematurely as a traitor to the Xiaolin for harboring a witch?"

Chase stood adamant, his arm like a steel rod holding Tala behind him. "You won't touch her," he snarled, "You-"

"He won't have to!" Tala cried, hoping that her voice would snap him out of it.

Both the Grand Master and Chase looked at Tala, Chase with horror and Grand Master Wei with arrogant delight.

"I'll do it," Tala told them, looking each in the eye before bowing to Grand Master Wei. "You were right, Grand Master," said Tala as she bowed, "This was my plan, and I am glad to do it for both our Temple and my country."

Beaming, the Grand Master clapped his hands together. "Excellent!" he said, "Now, Chase, give me your hand."

Reluctantly, Chase did as he was told. The Grand Master slid one of the many ivory rings from his finger. He slipped it onto Chase's middle finger, its face donning the engraving of the Yin and Yang symbol, surrounded by the rays of the sun.

"This is my personal seal," said Grand Master Wei, "Go and tell the others. Inform them of Tala's magic and our plan. If they object, show it to them. They will know that you speak the truth."

Chase lingered, keeping his wary eyes on Tala, but Grand Master Wei grew impatient. "_Go_."

When Chase had gone, Tala felt herself begin to shake. Who was once the kind old man that rooted for her in these very halls one year ago, was now Tala's enemy and the very threat to her life. She stood before him, fingernails digging into her palms, waiting for the Grand Master's instructions on baited breath.

"And, you," he said, "Wuya must suspect nothing of our plot, do you understand?"

"Will you kill her?" asked Tala, watching his smile fade.

"_All _witches must burn, Tala," said Grand Master Wei softly, now that his anger had subsided, "I cannot change the laws. They are what protects us from evil."

"Will you kill me, too?"

"That is to be decided on another day," he told her, "Prove your loyalty to the Xiaolin by helping us to take down this sorceress, and you shall be pardoned."

"Pardoned," Tala echoed. Nausea quickly filled the pit of her stomach.

"For now," warned the Grand Master, "But, whether I charge you guilty of witchcraft in the future, well, that all depends on you."

Tala bit the inside of her cheeks, swallowing down her pride and the urge to attack him.

'_He is a Master," _she told herself, "_He will outsmart you. The only way you'll be able to stay alive is by being a good girl and playing along. Maybe someday you can get back at this cac muc, but not today_.'

"Come," the Grand Master said, offering Tala his arm, "walk awhile with me."

With no choice, Tala obliged. The two made their way through the winding Grand Hall, with its many ornate pillars and golden dragons, to a small garden more beautiful than that of the Temple's centerpiece.

A giant willow, twice the size of the one in Tala's special courtyard, swung its branches lazily in the morning's breeze, kissing the grass with the white petals of the tiny flowers that covered them. Sapling mimosa and cherry trees surrounded it, and the flowers between had an array of colors. Reds, oranges, pinks and yellows. They were arranged into swirls and shapes to decorate the dark gravel circles and white boulders that added an earthy balance to the garden's summer display.

"This place is amazing," said Tala, "Where are we?"

"My moon garden," said Grand Master Wei proudly, "It was passed down to me from the Grand Master before me, and to him from his own Grand Master. This is where I come to reflect. My job, Tala, is to judge the decisions made by the Elders' Council, and weigh both sides equally. You saw it when Keyota, forgive me, _Master Young_ brought you to us and demanded that you be burned on the pyre. I must sometimes make tough decisions and come to a ruling that I might not particularly like, but have to choose it for the sake of those living here at the Temple. Afterwards, I return to this moon garden and often reconsider what it means to be a Grand Master."

"Why are you telling me all of this?"

Grand Master Wei smiled and invited for Tala to sit down on the bench beneath the willow, holding the sleeve of his robe to keep it from brushing the wood. They both sat down as the Grand Master told her, "We all must make decisions for the best of those around us, even if those decisions might not be what is best for ourselves. Such as your decision to sneak behind all of our backs and train with this 'Wuya,' for example."

Sweat began to prickle at the back of Tala's neck. She wished to braid her hair back, but dared not ask the Grand Master if he would allow her to in his presence. "I thought that if I could learn her secrets," said Tala, "then I could help you and the other warriors find a way to restore the Xiaolin's lost magic."

"And, did you?" asked the Grand Master, watching her with a fragile, expectant smile.

"Yes," Tala told him, doing her best not to let her nervous gaze wander with her suspicion, "The answer is sacrifice. All four of us must be willing to give up the thing we treasure most in this world, in order to restore balance to the Cycle."

Grand Master Wei sighed deeply. "That is impossible," he said, "I am filled with a deep regret to tell you this, Tala, but that is the one thing man cannot do. Not willingly, as this cure of yours asks."

"I had thought as much," said Tala, "Even if the boys could do it, even if _I _could do it, I'm not quite sure if they -_we- _should."

"You would deny the Xiaolin their magic while still possessing that of your own?"

Tala bristled at the accusative tone lacing the Grand Master's question.

"Of course not, sir," she said, "but, it is as you say, to sacrifice the most important thing in one's life is impossible."

"Ah, but you just said _should_," laughed the Grand Master, "not could. Tell me your secret, young lady. What is it that you know?"

Tala bit the inside of her cheek before answering him. "They aren't worthy," Tala admitted, "Not one of them."

'_And, least of all you_,' she nearly added.

Grand Master Wei chuckled, the light adding youth to his eyes. "Oh?" he asked.

"Chase is too power-hungry," she said, "I'm actually rather afraid of what he might do with it."

The Grand Master nodded thoughtfully. "This is true," he said, "but rightly so. The boy is powerful, and strength is attracted to the charismatic. Not to worry, though. Once he has what he wants, Chase will quell his ambitions. It is the unknown that excites him and that excitement gives your friend his ambitious drive. Not unlike myself, in most ways."

"Guan hates magic," she continued, swallowing down the urge to yell at him, "I'm not sure if he would even use it, should he obtain the ability. I fear that Guan would reject the magic and do himself harm."

"A stubborn boy, but not completely unmoving," assured Grand Master Wei, "He would see the good in it eventually."

"And, Dashi," she said, "It's his heart. He's too kind, too caring for the people around him. If he were to have magic, Dashi would try to use it to protect everyone, or give them everything they'd like, and it would probably kill him."

"Perhaps that is not such a bad thing," said the Grand Master. His eyes focused on the falling petals of the peach blossom tree across from where they sat. "Sometimes, a soft heart is desired above charisma and careful planning. Kindness provides a much needed light for our world, though one seldom seen, and can tear down even the most stubborn hearts of men."

"But-"

"_But_," he interrupted, "I do not disagree with you completely. All three of them have growing to do. However, that does not make them unworthy."

"Yes, sir," Tala mumbled.

"Now, about this witch-aunt of yours," he said, brightly smiling, "Where have you been meeting her?"

"The forest," Tala replied, "by the river, where the maids wash the laundry."

"Then, you shall continue to meet her there," Grand Master Wei told her, patting Tala's shoulder with a leathery hand, "Act as usual, and keep me informed on what she teaches you. Chase and I will relay your training to the other two Xiaolin warriors, and by the fortnight, we will be prepared for the ambush."

"With all do respect, Grand Master," said Tala, "A fortnight is not enough time to prepare for a battle with Wuya. She is both powerful and clever. She will destroy us, even if we are able to catch her off guard."

"But you are _also_ clever, Tala," he said, the pinpricks of light returning to his eyes, "You have hidden this from us for a long time without suspicion. And, just a girl too! I knew there was more to you than meets the eye, and more importantly, so does Wuya."

Tala clenched her hands, shutting the flashfire down with the grit of her teeth. For goodness sake, she wasn't a child! Who in the world did this man think he was playing?! "Yes, sir," she growled.

'_You're hoping that I'll agree_,' Tala thought, looking away, '_That I'll make a mistake in my arrogance, and that Wuya will kill me. You need to do better than this, old man, if you want me dead_.'

"I will do as you ask," said Tala, meeting Grand Master Wei's eyes, "But, you must instruct the boys to listen to what I tell them carefully. One mistake against Wuya, and we all die."

"Naturally," agreed the Grand Master.

* * *

"A witch," said Guan, looking away, "So, that was why she…"

Chase rubbed the back of his neck, his spirit sinking as he watched his friend sit down, holding his head in his hands.

"She should have been the one to tell you," Chase admitted, his stomach gurgling with nausea at the thought of the next time Guan and Tala would be seeing each other face-to-face.

Guan looked up from his hands, thick eyebrows narrowed with anger as he looked at Dashi, demanding, "Did you know about this?"

Dashi looked about as guilty as Chase felt, but he didn't answer. The sad look on his face was enough.

"It's not her fault, Guan," said Chase, "To be branded a witch is an automatic death sentence. Did you really think she'd willingly tell anyone about it?"

"And, yet, here the two of you are, keeping Tala's secrets," snapped Guan, "And, here I am, the last to know. I thought we were a team!"

"Tala didn't tell us," said Dashi, "We found out on our own."

"_Separately_," added Chase, "It's technically my fault that Dashi found out."

"You still kept this hidden from me," said Guan bitterly, "and I, in my hatred, only frightened her more."

Guan stood and stormed out, but Dashi held Chase back from going after him.

"Don't make this worse," Dashi warned, "Just let Guan cool off. He'll be okay once he calms down, you know that."

Chase yanked his arm away, glowering. "He's right," Chase growled, "We should have told him."

Chase followed suit, and left Dashi's apartment. The gravel of the road crunched satisfyingly beneath his feet. He focused on the sound, willing his anger to subside with deep, slow breaths.

"Guan," Chase called, but Guan had disappeared down the road already.

'_Great_,' he thought, '_He probably went down the other path_.'

Oh well, Chase was already on the path toward his own apartment, so there was no use turning around and walking back half a mile. Guan would have been long gone by then. Chase would have to talk to Guan later, like Dashi said, when he had calmed down.

Chase took the Grand Master's ring from his finger, letting it roll loosely in his palm. He sat down on the side of the road, leaning his back against the bamboo. Chase ran his fingers through his hair, sighing.

"I know you're here," he snapped, "You don't have to act so secretive. I can sense you."

A bird flew down from the branches above, and Hannibal Bean jumped from its back. It landed on Chase's knee, chuckling. "I can't sneak up on you anymore, can I, son?" it joked.

"Everything's so messed up," said Chase, watching as the bird flew over the kitchen's rooftop, splitting the chimney smoke with a flap of its wings.

"So, you brought Tala to the Grand Master," shrugged Hannibal, "But, you had the right to. She betrayed your trust. _Lied_ to everyone."

"And, now Guan's upset," Chase told it, gesturing his frustration with a wave of his arm, "I think I might have just ruined their friendship."

"Why do you care?" asked the bean with a gross, gleaming smile, "Judging by how he's acting, they weren't very good friends to begin with."

"Because, Guan's my best friend and I don't like seeing him like that," said Chase, "It wasn't fair of us to hide this from him. He has the right to be angry. Aside from that, Tala can't afford to have enemies right now."

"It's touching to see how much you care for your friends," said Hannibal, though the dripping of its accent gave Chase the impression that it really wasn't all that impressed, "but, you should be focusing on the bigger picture, here."

"The bigger _what_?"

"The grand scheme of things," Hannibal corrected itself, "More importantly that Tala has been lying to you this entire time. I had thought you'd be a bit more angry about that."

"I am," Chase admitted, "but right now we have a sorceress to deal with. We all need to focus together as a team to take her down. Besides, I'm not a kid anymore. I can't just let my anger get the best of me."

"Not like Guan?" teased Hannibal.

Chase's jaw tightened. "I already let it," he said, "I should have just dealt with her on my own. For all I know, the Grand Master could be threatening Tala's life right now. The thought of him scaring Tala into submission like he did with me at her age-"

Chase's entire body seized up, remembering how powerless he had felt at the hand of the Grand Master's false mercy and harsh words. He grew even angrier realizing that he had now subjected Tala to that. Chase nearly threw the ring, but stopped himself.

He looked at the ivory seal resting in his palm, following the groves of the design with his fingernail. "This will be mine, someday," he whispered, glaring at it, "but only if I remain obedient to what Grand Master Wei wants."

"And, what does he want?" asked Hannibal.

Chase sighed. "I don't know."

"I do."

Chase looked at Hannibal, his eyes widening. The bean smiled, the grotesqueness of its rotted teeth bringing cruelness to its grin.

"A prophecy," it said, "One that your Grand Master believes you and Tala are a part of. And, _I _think so too."

"A prophecy?" asked Chase, "What prophecy?"

"Heylin born with Xiaolin ties," said Hannibal, his voice slowly crawling, "Xiaolin born to Heylin lies. Deceit is the Crown, but truth is the Pearl. Like a pair of lovers torn, they split the world. But, unless they can restore balance anew, chaos will take it's reign, full and true."

Chase shuddered. "What does it mean?"

"Two warriors will rise from both the Xiaolin and Heylin side," said Hannibal, "The Heylin warrior, magic and all, will fight for the Xiaolin."

"Tala," said Chase, "Grand Master Wei thinks Tala's the Heylin one."

"You catch on quick," chuckled the bean, "The second warrior will be Xiaolin born, but he will become corrupted and fight for the dark side."

"Hold on," said Chase, "I'm not evil. I'm training to become a Xiaolin Dragon and the Shoku warrior. I wouldn't risk that for anything."

"I wouldn't speak so rashly, young monk," warned Hannibal, "Human nature makes it all to easy for one to turn dark. A little naughty here, a little bad there, and suddenly it is all too easy. You're no stranger to being just a little bit mean at least, aren't you?"

Chase looked down, not wanting to admit that the bean was right about humans. But, it was wrong about him. "What does the rest mean?" he asked.

"These warriors are known as the Crown and the Pearl," Hannibal told him, "They are meant to bring the world into enlightenment and restore the balance between both sides that has been lost through their fighting, lest the world fall into chaos forever."

"So, this is a good thing," guessed Chase, "But, what about the corrupted warrior? Wouldn't they _want_ that chaos?"

"There's no use ruling a world that has destroyed itself," said Hannibal, "Neither of these warriors will be foolish enough to simply let the earth decay. For the sake of their own self-preservation, I'm sure the Crown would stand side-by-side with the Pearl, if only to be sure that they can save the world for themselves."

Chase nodded, understanding. "You really think I'm the Crown," he said.

"It would make sense," answered the bean, "After all, you are the most powerful warrior that the Xiaolin has seen in over five hundred years. You're also close to Tala, who is by far the most likely candidate for the Pearl. It is to be believed that the Crown and the Pearl are actually one in spirit. Tell me, have you ever caught yourself thinking or feeling things about Tala that you know you normally wouldn't?"

Chase nearly laughed. "Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know," said the bean slyly, "Like wanting to be near her and not knowing exactly why, an overwhelming urge to protect Tala from harm. Not just wanting to be her friend, or even her lover, but feeling as though she is supposed to be a part of your life and always has been."

"Supposed to be a part of my life," Chase thought aloud, "No, I just think being Tala's friend is important. Not just because she might be able to help me obtain magic, but because I-"

What was he saying? What was he even _going_ to say? Because he wanted to be in her world? Because grew a soft spot for her? None of that was even remotely what Hannibal was describing! But… come to think of it, Chase did feel an overwhelming desire to keep Tala safe. At least, from the Grand Master. But, that was just because he knew what it was like to be manipulated by the old man, right? I couldn't have been-

"Because?" asked the bean, snapping Chase out of his thoughts.

Chase blushed. "No, I-" he stammered, "I just know that Tala and I need to be friends."

"And, there it is," said Hannibal, "You need to be a part of her as much as she is a part of you."

"No, hold on," snapped Chase, "It's not like I love her or anything. I feel like I need to help her in some way. I think Tala needs me, like I was meant to catch her that night."

"Love comes in many forms, Chase," said the Bean, cracking a horrible smile, "and it also changes. For now, you may see Tala as your friend, but eventually, especially if my and Grand Master Wei's assumptions of you both are correct, there will be much more to your relationship."

"We're friends," Chase insisted, folding his arms.

"And yet, you feel as though you were both meant to find each other," said Hannibal, "That is not how a 'normal friendship' starts. And, since she hasn't given you the slip yet, I'm assuming that Tala feels the same way. Perhaps she has started to even harbor feelings for you."

"No," sneered Chase, "no, she doesn't. And, neither do I. We're _friends._ That's it."

Hannibal shrugged. "Just keep the prophecy in mind," he said.

Hannibal whistled, and his bird mount returned, flittering down beside Chase in a ruffle of feathers. Before hopping onto the bird's back, Hannibal Bean winked at Chase, saying, "And, who knows, maybe you should ask her."

* * *

**AN: I may not update for a good while. I will be leaving for nine months for a training program and will be extremely busy. I'll try to find time to write before I leave, but it might not be much. And, in the case that this will be my last chapter for a while, I wanted to give you guys the heads up. This is not being abandoned, just going on a hiatus.**

**Irish Gaelic Translation**

_cac muc_\- pig crap (but a bit more lewd)


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade. **

_Seventeen_ Where the Lines Blur_

Just as promised by the Grand Master, the reveal of Tala's plan sent the Temple's warriors into action. For two weeks, Tala continued to meet and train with Wuya beneath the dark shelter of the forest and its shadows while Grand Master Wei and the Temple Masters began to thoroughly train every able-bodied man for the upcoming battle.

Tala played her part and now here she was on the night of the ambush, her anxiety rising ever higher as she played pretend with Wuya for the final time.

Drowning out Wuya's voice, Tala's thoughts were turned inward, her heart racing. After all, Tala _was_ a witch. Grand Master Wei and his Elder Council were adamant about burning convicted witches, and since his word was all that kept Tala from the pyre herself, she knew that she had to play on his good side to keep herself alive. For now, anyway.

There was one silver lining: The Dragon's Cycle. She completed the Cycle. Surely the Grand Master wouldn't want her dead. He couldn't have! Not while the Dragon Cycle was now at its strongest after three hundred years without the Wind Dragon.

But still, the rash way Grand Master Wei had acted when Tala was exposed gnawed at her belly. No one was stupid enough to plan an ambush with only two weeks' advance, and certainly not a Grand Master. She barely knew the old old man, but Tala hardly thought that he was the irrational type. Wei was not chosen to be the Grand Master for nothing.

'_He wants me to die in the ambush_,' thought Tala, '_He wants to be rid of Wuya and me both. He has to. Nobody acts that hastily against such a powerful enemy. Nobody_.'

"Not unless they _want _something to go wrong," she muttered.

"What was that?" snapped Wuya.

The rock that Tala had been levitating above her head crashed between her eyes with a painful thud. She cried out and held her face, bowing against the pain with a hiss.

"Serves you right for daydreaming," huffed Wuya, perching her knuckles upon her hips, "What were you muttering about anyway?"

Tala, dark red tinting her brown cheeks, looked up from her hands and growled, "Nothing."

"Hmph," Wuya snorted, hopping onto the fallen log, "Whatever. We're done for the night. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Wait," said Tala before Wuya could disappear across the river.

Wuya looked back, her red lips curling into a toothy smile. "Yes?"

"It's uh," Tala mumbled, "It's going to rain!"

"So?"

"I'm assuming that you don't have shelter."

"I get by."

Wuya again turned to leave, but Tala grabbed her hand. Wuya looked back at Tala, mouth slightly parted with surprise.

"Come stay at my apartment today. You can sleep while I'm at training," Tala insisted, "Please, Wuya. Stay."

Wuya's green eyes, normally arrogantly narrowed, were wide and stunned. She sputtered before regaining herself, snatching her hand away from Tala's.

"Alright!" Wuya cried, red biting the edge of her nose, "Alright, already! Stop giving me those puppy eyes. I'll come."

Tala sighed, willing her heart to slow down. Good. Now all she needed to do was lure Wuya to the Temple. "We don't have much time," she said, "We should hurry. If we get there after the sun rises, someone will see you."

"I have an idea," said Wuya.

Put off by the smile on her aunt's face, Tala muttered, "I'm not sure if I like the sound of tha-AAH!"

Wuya slung Tala over her shoulders and jumped. Tala's breath flew from her, carried away by the rushing wind as the two gained altitude. She gasped, and when her lungs filled with enough air, yelled above the deafening current, "How are you doing this?"

Wuya's harsh laugh was dull in Tala's ear. With just as much effort as Tala, she yelled back, "Magic! How else? I'll teach you someday! Don't you worry!"

'_Not likely,_' thought Tala, '_You won't be alive after today._' Better Wuya than her.

Tala let her neck and shoulders relax, watching the forest descend below the meadowy hill. The trees lost their defining shape, massing together in a dark shadow beneath the grey fog and orange twinkling of the sun as Wuya raced it to the Temple.

Wuya bounced on her tippy-toes, hopping from rooftop to rooftop to slow her pace when they met their destination. The pair finally settled on the roof of Tala's apartment, kicking off a few of the brown tiles upon their descent.

"Okay, kid," said Wuya, dumping Tala onto the roof like a heavy pack, "ride's over."

Tala reached her arms back to keep from slipping as she fell, accidentally loosening a few more tiles. The soft mud beneath made her shiver as it squished between her fingers. "Can you _please_ not do that?" she snapped, "I could have fallen!"

Wuya shrugged. "Not my fault you're clumsy."

Tala huffed and swung down, gently kicking her unlocked window open. She slid through, landing on her feet without so much as a wobble. Tala pumped her fists with a pleased hiss, proud of herself for not falling flat on her back for once.

The small celebration was abruptly cut short when she was knocked flat onto her face instead. Wuya was crouched on top of her, sniggering. "I guess you didn't hear me telling you to look out," she snorted.

"Geddoff me!" Tala growled, struggling to bat her away.

"Geez," mumbled Wuya, helping Tala to her feet, "It was just a joke. Lighten up."

"I'll be right back," snapped Tala.

"Where are you going?"

"To get you a blanket!" Tala shouted, slamming the door.

Tala rushed to the hallway cupboard after walking far enough away for Wuya to not hear her footsteps. She had hidden both her fan and a lantern beneath the folded linens, accompanied by a match ready to light. Tala snuck to the window and placed the lamp atop its cill. The flame inside flickered brightly in the dim morning, breaking through the fog that was coating the grass and blurring the shapes of the trees.

She covered its light with her fan once with a slow swipe, then twice more with faster strokes, her message saying: "_Wuya is here_."

A light shone back at her. Three flickers, all slow. It was Guan, conveying that the troops were ready.

"Right," Tala told herself and flashed the lantern again, this time signaling for them to approach slowly.

Guan's signal was another two fast beats, telling her that all was understood.

Tala blew out her lantern and set it beneath the window, ready and waiting for the next message relay. She hid the other two matches in the folds of her sash and swiped a blanket for Wuya before she forgot.

When Tala returned to her room, Wuya had already made herself comfortable. She was sprawled upon Tala's futon, snoring loudly. Tala tossed the blanket over top of her with a grunt, displeased with giving up her bed even if only for a few minutes.

She snuck back out of the room and was instantly slammed against the wall, Chase's hand covering her mouth. He towered above Tala, holding her in place with his knees. "What can I do to convince you not to do this?" he hissed.

Tala shook her head to get out from under Chase's palm, but when that didn't work she licked his hand. Chase snatched it back, wiping her spit on his pants with a gag. Tala snorted and went to move, but Chase pushed her back by her shoulders.

Chase glared down at Tala, his eyes as brown as autumn and as harsh as winter. "I'm being serious," he growled, "Don't do this."

Tala rolled her eyes and ducked beneath Chase's arm, pressing a finger to her lips with a playful smile. She quietly walked back to the lantern and lit it a second time, placing it back onto the windowsill.

The crack in Chase's strained voice was the most amusing thing she had heard all week. "Tala, stop being stubborn! This might be a trap!"

"I know," she answered, flickering the signal for the warriors to move in.

"You kn- Why are you doing this, then?!" Chase's words nearly exploded through his teeth.

Tala smirked when a loud snore from her room bristled him. She hid a smile by turning her head back to the window, covering it with her hand for good measure.

Chase gave Tala's closed door a wary glance before marching over to her. Grabbing Tala's wrist, Chase knocked over the lantern. It fell onto the grass and shattered, the flame snuffed out by the damp fog and morning dew.

Everything within Tala froze. "_What did you do that for_?" she snapped, trying to take her hand back.

Chase was stronger. He yanked her so close that their noses nearly touched. "Listen to me!" he demanded, "We don't have much time. If I don't get you out of here now, you could be killed!"

"I've already figured that!" Tala hissed, "Don't you think I know a trap when I see one? _Do Spéartha mhaith_, Chase. Even a novice knows that you need more than just two weeks to prepare for a successful ambush, _especially _with such high stakes as capturing a dangerous witch!"

"Then why are you still going along with this?" he asked, "Do you really have that much of a deathwish?"

"I _had _a plan," she explained, "but you've just ruined it by knocking over my only communication with the others, you moron!"

"What are you say- _whatever_!" Chase seethed, yanking on Tala's wrist, "Let's just get you out of here before the others arrive."

Tala held onto the windowsill with her other hand, trying her hardest not to yell. "_No_!"

"Tala!" Chase's voice was a whistle through his bared teeth.

Tala heard the rush of energy before she saw the ball of green fire fly past Chase's nose, missing the tip of it only by a hair. Jolted, Tala turned her head to look at Wuya.

She was all fury and flame, the wild red curls atop her head flying every which way. Wuya's unforgiving eyes were locked on Chase, and her lips were pulled back into a thin snarl. "That was a warning shot," she growled, "Let. Her. Go."

"Chase," Tala whispered, "do as she says. Let go of my wrist. _Slowly_."

Chase uncurled his fingers, listening to Tala, though his wide eyes could not turn away from Wuya. His skin was ashen. Tala saw Chase's throat bob with a fear that he would never admit. This time it was far from funny.

"Now," said Wuya, "I'm only going to say this once: _Get out_."

"Go," Tala whispered.

"No," he said, standing so that he was shielding her, "I won't."

Tala felt the slow warmth of Chase's hand sliding into hers. "I'm standing with you," Chase vowed, clasping their fingers together.

"Now's not the time to play hero, kid," snapped Wuya, "Scram."

Chase firmed his grip. "No," he said, "I'm not leaving her."

Tala's breath quickened. Her muscles tensed as her mind began to race. She had to think of something, and she had to do it fast.

Tala squeezed Chase's hand back. "Get ready," she murmured to him.

Chase didn't take his eyes off of Wuya, but Tala knew that he had heard her. She gave a shallow breath, begging her heart to stop pounding. "Wuya," she warned, "_don't_."

"Oh, how sweet," cooed Wuya with a sneer, "Are those wedding bells I hear? Oh no, wait."

A fireball appeared in the cup of her clawed fingers. "It's just your death," she growled, "Say goodbye to your boyfriend, Tala."

"Tala, NOW!" Chase shouted. She reacted by instinct, blasting Wuya away and yanking Chase into a run.

The world was a blur around them as Tala rushed through the hallways, just barely missing the corners. She bashed her shoulder, but kept going. Nothing mattered so long as they could escape. Both together, both alive.

Tala whipped around another corner, pulling Chase forward. She tossed him through the doorway and into the open air. Tala threw herself out after him, screaming into the fog, "She's coming! She's coming!"

Chase grabbed Tala's arm to keep her from tripping over herself in her hysteria. He dragged her into another run, coaxing Tala on with his own breathless pleading when her lungs betrayed her and the fear began to give way, snapping Tala's wobbling knees like twigs.

She nearly fell into the arms of Master Young when he broke rank to meet them, barking, "What happened?!"

He caught Tala by her shoulders, holding her steady as she tried her best to catch her breath and tears. He grimaced, firm steel against rattling bones. Tala could not speak, only cry as she shook.

"Get her behind the lines," he ordered to Chase, who held Tala close to him in response, "I knew she was useless."

Chase gently guided Tala toward the other troops. They hobbled together, the lopsided weight from Tala staggering them. They were nearly to the front line when the earth cracked in two.

Tala and Chase flew back. Chase grabbed onto Tala and rolled overtop of her when they landed, shielding her from the falling rock and dirt. All sound had been drowned out by the impact, replaced by a ringing in Tala's ears.

Chase was unconscious on top of her. Tala tried to shake him awake. A shadow overtook them and she just narrowly avoided the rock giant's foot, barrel-rolling both herself and Chase just inches from it before the giant's colossal weight trembled the ground. Tala staggered to her knees, struggling to pull Chase away from the gaping cracks left behind in the giant's path.

She looked on with horror as the creature scattered the men, tossing them with a swipe from the back of his hand. None listened when the masters shouted orders to stand their ground. It was already too late.

Many of the lower ranked men threw down their weapons and fled, unable to stand up to the creature as it picked up and catapulted their comrades across the courtyard.

"Chase, wake up!" Tala shouted, slapping him. Her own voice was muffled by the sounds of screams and the buzzing that crept up her back.

Chase was unresponsive. "Chase, come on!" Tala cried, trying to drag him up, "We have to get out of the way!"

She fell as she tried to stand, pulled down by his weight. Tala tried again, but kept slipping on the soft ground, now slick with exposed mud and clay. She crumbled on top of him, and began trying to shake Chase awake again. Tala slapped at his cheeks, pinched him, anything to get Chase to move. It was no use.

Tala lifted his head to yell into his ear. Shocked by wetness, Tala pulled her hand back. Her fingers were smeared with his blood. "No," Tala squeaked, "_No, no, no, no_. _Chase_? Chase, wake up!"

More rock giants thundered out of the ground, all roaring and ready to spill Xiaolin blood. However, there was still no sign of their mistress. Tala tried but could not pinpoint where Wuya was, though the cinnamon scent of her magic was all around her in the air. In the chaos, Tala could not tell where exactly it was coming from. She had no time to.

Tala ducked, huddling over Chase's face when a rock came whirling past her head. It crashed into the adjacent building. "Don't be dead," Tala murmured, as she yanked at him again, "_Le do thoil,_ _ná a bheith marbh_!"

She screamed and jumped when a hand roughly grabbed her by the elbow and forced Tala to her feet. She whirled on them, kicking their hand away, ready to defend herself. She stood down immediately when Dashi blocked her with his arm.

"Come on, get his shoulder!" he cried, kneeling down to help her. Though uneven in their height, they were able to place Chase's arms around their necks. As fast as their weight could carry them, Tala and Dashi dragged Chase to safety, sheltered in the shadows between the two closest buildings. They laid him down gently, Dashi holding the back of his head steady.

Maids and several cowardly boys were hidden there, safe for now. They shuffled around the three of them, whispering and whimpering over the fact that their golden boy had fallen. Hope had left their eyes.

"Let me see him,"

Jia pushed through the crowd, and rushed to Tala's side. She was impressive, unwrapping her apron, tearing at it with her teeth, and binding Chase's head with the ripped cloth. Her gentle fingers probed the wound on the back of his head, but even with the prodding of the injury, Chase still could not open his eyes.

Dashi grazed Tala's shoulder with his fingertips. She looked into his eyes. The black of them, usually shining with laughter, were brimming with tears, accompanied by the bitter grit of his jaw and a bob in his throat.

"We have to go," he said, "They need us back out there. We could really use your magic right now."

Tala's chest tightened. She looked at Chase, then back at Dashi. "He saved my life," she said.

Dashi nodded solemnly. Lowering his eyes, he said, "Now let's go save everyone else's."

They sprinted back out, flanking each other. Dashi, naturally faster, met the fray first, shouting at all of the others, "Stand together! Follow me!"

Guan joined him, wielding a double-ended spear and ready to avenge their home.

With no time to plan, the trio and the warriors beside them ran toward the giants, yelling and flailing their weapons.

Two more monsters ruptured from the earth in front of them, tossing the warriors into the air several feet high. One of the newborns snatched a man as he fell and swallowed him whole. His twin roared and rushed forward with two of their brothers behind him, trampling and crushing the poor boys still standing to fight.

A flash of red atop the head of one of those four giants caught Tala's attention. Hot rage cut through Tala's chest, blasting from her heart and rupturing into a yell.

She reached for her fan, but realized that she had forgotten to tie it back to her waist. Fire, blue and blazing, surrounded Tala's hands when she clenched them. Orange, that sweet, sweet taste, curled her mouth into a vengeful smile. She ran forward.

Wuya had spotted her before Tala could get close enough to attack. She lept down, her own green fire protecting her fists when they collided, clamping each other's hands.

Blue pushed against green, back and forth, as they wrestled for dominance. Tala, much smaller than Wuya, was easily overpowered. As Wuya bent her backwards, Tala let her weight drop and kicked the witch's knee from under her.

When the witch staggered, Tala punched Wuya in the jaw, freeing herself from her aunt's grip. Wuya rubbed at the blood with the back of her hand, smiling. "Good work, kid," she said, "You had me completely fooled. You'd make a great witch, someday."

She bent into a stance and said, "Shame I have to end you, though. You had _so_ much potential."

Tala mirrored her, and with a smile of her own, flicked her fingers to invite Wuya forward. "Come and get me, hag."

"Don't mind if I do!" Wuya shouted, rushing forward, her green fire once again aimed for Tala's face.

Tala just barely dodged the high-speed attack, one of her braids singing from the fire. She thrusted a fist into Wuya's stomach, but the witch was able to snag her hand and twist Tala's arm before the hit could land. Tala cried out, trapped.

"Good," sneered Wuya, "Now that I have your full attention, I want you to know something."

Tala tried to twist free, but Wuya yanked her arm, threatening to pull the shoulder from its socket.

"Don't make me break your arm, Tala," Wuya warned when Tala gritted her teeth, "Stop squirming and listen to me!"

She used her free hand to dig her sharp nails into Tala's scalp. She yanked Tala's head up and forced her to watch as Wuya's giants slaughtered the remaining few warriors left. "Look at them," ordered Wuya, "Do you _really_ think they have a chance? Why are you fighting for them?"

Tala tried to look away, but Wuya painfully jerked her back up. "LOOK!"

"They're worms, Tala" gloated Wuya, "Trapped beneath dirt and rocks. That's all they'll ever be. When they aren't cowering, they're picking apart the bones of everything you love. After your mother's death, I thought you knew that."

Tala shook her head and closed her eyes, cringing when a boy's screams were swallowed up by a wet crunch.

"This is your last chance," said the witch, "Join me, or I'll-"

Tala twisted around, and adding the weight of magic behind her fist, she sent Wuya flying into the wall of the apartment. The impact's force left a crater, and Wuya slid into the grass, limp.

The giants dropped to the ground, thrown down like toys in a child's tantrum. The rocks that made up their bodies broke apart, lifeless with their mistress unconscious. Tala wasted no time. She threw herself on top of Wuya.

Wuya's head flopped side to side helplessly as Tala jabbed at her. Right. Left. Right. Left. Tala's punches were so fierce that her own knuckles began to bleed, scraping against the witch's teeth.

"Tala, get off!" she heard someone yell, faint and cotton-like to her ears, "Tala, stop!"

She just kept punching and punching, the witch's blood and her own blurring with her tears.

"It has to be like this!" Tala sobbed, "I won't let you burn!"

Tala screamed and snarled when rough hands yanked her away. "_Lig dom dul_!" she cried, kicking and scraping her nails into the skin of her captor, "Let me go!"

Guan just lifted her higher, holding Tala close to him as Dashi and another boy dragged Wuya's body away.

"_Lig dom du_l!" her throat ran raw with screaming, "_Lig dom dul_!"

Tala seethed, catching her breath and steeling herself when Guan pinned her back to his chest. "Let. Me. Go." she hissed.

"Don't make this worse for yourself," Guan answered harshly, tightening his grip.

Master Young approached them. Standing in front of Tala silently, he glared her down, amber eyes smoldering. She glared right back.

Clenching her jaw was a mistake. He backhanded Tala hard enough to fling her head to the side. The sound reverberated across the silent courtyard.

Tala lifted her head only to be slapped by his other hand. She spit out a tooth.

He lifted his hand to hit her again, but froze when the Grand Master's billowing robes pushed through the crowd.

"You are lucky that we won, today," Master Young spat before backing off, "You can't hide behind his skirts forever, _witch_."

Guan held her tightly enough to keep Tala from lunging. Prickling heat flashed into her fingertips anyway.

Grand Master Wei and two of his eunuchs came to her. He looked at Tala, taking the dirty, bloody, and singed sight of her in with wide eyes. He flicked his wrist, signaling for Guan to release her.

Tala roughly pulled away from Guan, glaring at him over her shoulder, before shooting the Grand Master his own look of contempt. She refused to bow, determined to let the old man see how much she hated him.

"Well done, young monk," he said, ignoring her not-so-subtle insult, "The Heylin witch has been subdued. You will be honored. Your hand had no small part in this."

He reached his leathery hand out to touch her shoulder. "I will be sure to have-"

Tala slapped the Grand Master's hand away before he could touch her. The very heat he gave off made her sick. "Don't touch me."

There were a few gasps from the crowd at her blatant disrespect, and Tala was sure that she would be punished, but it didn't matter. Better dead now than a slave later.

The Grand Master paused. A shadow passed across his dark eyes, but it was quickly swallowed up by a generous smile.

"The poor girl must be tired," he said. Waving a hand to the eunuch on his right, Grand Master Wei added, "Take this young warrior to get some medical attention. Her bravery has earned the rest."

"This way, my lady," murmured the very young man as he bowed to her, "My name is Chien-po, and I am at your service."

His round face and small height made him look not much older than Tala herself. It unnerved her.

"Where's Yat-sen?" she whispered to Chien-po as they made their way through the parting crowd. The fact that she had not been put into the care of her usual overseer made Tala feel paranoid.

"I'm not at liberty to say, Honored Trainee," the boy squeaked, "Please, do not ask me such questions directly. I was advised not to speak to you."

A scream stopped the two in their tracks. The sound of falling rock grated harshly against Tala's clenching teeth as she cringed against it. Tala looked back, her heart skipping and her blood draining when she saw what had happened.

A few of the remaining warriors, the cowards who had been hiding by the look of it, were playing on the fallen giants, gloating over the victory. One of the boys had been reckless. He slipped into the mouth of a giant's lifeless skull, and the disrupting of the stones caused the jaw of it to snap shut like a spring trap.

Without thinking, Tala ran to them. She pushed the crowding boys out of her way as Chien-po called after her. In a whisp of smoke, Tala summoned her fan from thin air and prepared herself for a strike.

"Stand back," she told the other boys, ignoring their fearful gawking at her trick, "I can't help him if I don't have room."

Tala called out to the trapped boy, holding the fan above her head, "stay away from the edge as much as possible! I'm getting you out!"

"I can't!" she heard his muffled cry.

"Hug your back to the wall!" Tala called, "I'm about to break the rock!"

She brought the fan down like a hammer, the iron-plated edge of it burning with blue fire. It sliced through the rock like scissors to cloth, gliding effortlessly down to the ground. The skull split in two, and the halves rolled over to their sides, each resting like wooden bowls.

The warriors behind Tala backed away, half of them watching the boy climb from his prison, and half warily watching her. The warrior that had been trapped scrambled out of the skull, blubbering like a child. He sat on his knees, catching his breath.

The boy was dazed, but his eyes sharpened with hateful clarity when Tala offered her hand to help him rise to his feet. The warrior spat at Tala, sneering.

"Don't touch me" he hissed, "I always knew you were a demon."

Tala held her hand out. Still. Silent. Waiting.

"Are you deaf, witch?" the boy jeered, "Don't touch me, you black devil!"

Tala did not move. She kept her eyes on his, willing for his hate to turn to fear.

"You'll be killed with that hag," he said, scoffing when she didn't even blink at his insults, "All trash gets burned eventually."

The second he slapped at her hand, Tala grabbed the boy's throat and tackled him to the ground. She held a clawed hand above his head, ready to pluck out his tongue with the next word out of his mouth.

Tala felt the heat of the boy's skin beneath her fingers, the rushing of his pulse. Her nails caught against the vein and wondered what it would feel like if she popped it. She gently pressed into it, and the pulse quickened. She stared into his eyes, finding what she was looking for.

The sheer terror in their black pits should have made Tala recoil with guilt. Should have horrified her. After all, that's what a good girl would do. But, no. Her hands were warm, her pulse slow, and her eyes narrowed with focus. The way this boy was rigid and cowering beneath her felt… right.

Though she was squeezing his neck enough to block air, the boy still choked out, "Demon."

Tala's hand was lightning quick, but Dashi's was stronger. He snatched her wrist from the air roughly, snapping her out of the trance. It was only when their eyes met did Tala fully understand what she had almost done. She began to choke on her own breath, disgusted.

"Get up," Dashi snarled, "_Now._"

Tala was frozen, her entire body locked up. Her stomach dropped so fast and so hard that she nearly vomited.

When Tala didn't move, Dashi yanked her to her feet. He had an iron grip on her arm, forcing Tala to stay at his side as the other warrior scrambled to sit up.

The boy on the ground was pale, every ounce of color so drained from his face that his skin had faintly turned blue. Pointing at Tala and gingerly holding his throat, the boy rasped, "She's a monster!"

"I saved your life," Tala's voice was cold, foreign to herself, "and you ungratefully mocked me."

"Don't talk to him," Dashi ordered, glaring at her.

Tala swallowed down the bile that burned her throat and obediently lowered her head, doing her best to cover up her bruised ego. It bloomed across Tala's face anyway, puckering her lips, watering her eyes, and shading her cheeks a dark a red as if they had been slapped.

"Don't you dare speak a word of this," Dashi snapped at the boy, "I'm the one that freed you, understand?"

The warrior nodded, but said nothing.

Satisfied, Dashi lifted his glower to the onlooking boys. "_None_ of you speak a word," he affirmed, "_I_ saved Qing's life, got it? Tala was never here."

"Why are you protecting her?" Qing demanded, somehow able to find his voice again, "That hellcat nearly killed me!"

"Tala is a future Xiaolin Dragon," said Dashi, "You're lucky that she even stopped to help you."

He looked at the crowd again. Their whispers and frightened stares only made Tala feel more queasy. She hid her face with her free hand, wishing them all away.

Dashi addressed the crowd. "None of you will even breathe against her," he commanded, "That is my official order, as your superior. Tala stood up to Wuya and won the battle for us, today. The Grand Master has named her a hero. Remember that the next time you want to accuse this Honored Trainee of being a witch. You are all dismissed. Leave my sight."

Qing scrambled to his feet, still glaring at Tala. "He can't protect you forever, _Honored Trainee_," he hissed, slinking off with the rest of the onlookers.

Dashi held his glare until Tala's accuser and those who agreed with him had left. The moment they did, Tala pushed Dashi away from her. They stared each other down, hatred filling up their eyes.

"Why did you stop?" he asked.

"He needed help," Tala growled.

"Was strangling that poor boy helping him?" Dashi demanded.

"_Poor boy_?!"

"Answer me!"

" I didn't mean for that to happen," hissed Tala, "It was an accident!"

"Tripping over yourself and headbutting someone is an accident," said Dashi, "What you were doing nearly escalated into murder."

"He hit me," Tala told him, "I was defending myself."

"No," accused Dashi, "He antagonized you and you fell for it."

"Honored Apprentices!" called Chien-po, "Honored Apprentices, come this way!"

"We'll talk about this later," Dashi sighed, "Let's go."

"What's happened, Chien-po?" asked Tala when they caught up with the eunuch.

Chien-po was in a fluster, scurrying just enough ahead of them to stay within hearing range, and strained himself to keep at a slower pace. "There has been an incident at the holding cells," he explained, squeaky voice cracking with barely held back hysteria, "We must be quick!"

* * *

The Grand Master was waiting for them at the holding cells, hands folded within the sleeves of his robes against the morning's chill. The small dragon that usually accompanied him, _Dojo_\- if Tala remembered correctly, had himself wrapped comfortably around Grand Master Wei's neck like a loose scarf, happily resting. But, when Tala and Dashi approached, his yellow eyes narrowed at Tala suspiciously.

"How kind of you two to finally join us," purred Master Young, his own narrowed eyes smiling at Tala's obvious discomfort as she passed him.

"What happened?" asked Dashi as the pair approached the cells.

"The Heylin witch has escaped," Master Young said from behind Tala, glaring at her suspiciously, "_Someone _let her out."

Guan was silent, leaning against the opposite side wall, also watching Tala with an accusing glint in his eyes.

"You aren't blaming _me_," suggested Tala, "I have not been anywhere near Wuya since the battle!"

"I can vouch for that," said Dashi, "The eunuch and I have been with her the entire time since."

"If not the witch-brat," said Master Young, "Then who?"

"I don't know," insisted Tala, "Wuya is the only witch I've talked to!"

"And you are _sure _that there are no others," said the Grand Master, staring her down.

"Yes!" Tala answered.

"Why is it that I find this all too hard to believe?" asked Master Young.

"I don't care if you believe me or not," shouted Tala, "I'm telling you the truth!"

"She really is, Master," interjected Dashi, "Again, I was with her this entire time. Tala couldn't possibly have-"

"Enough," snipped Grand Master Wei, holding a hand out to demand silence.

"It appears," said the Grand Master, though he sounded disappointed to say the least, "That Tala is innocent in this matter, which means that we may have another witch on our hands. Perhaps even something far worse."

"But that's impossible," said Dashi, "Compared to a Heylin witch, what could be worse?"

"Let us pray that I am wrong," the Grand Master answered, "and that you will never find out."

* * *

**AN: Hey, guys. I'm still going to be having mega slow updates, regardless of the fact that I was able to upload this chapter. I'm still going to not really be around until late August, but there may be a few updates here and there. **

**Irish Gaelic Translation**

_Do Spéartha mhaith_\- For Heavens' sake

_Le do thoil,_ _ná a bheith marbh- _Please, don't be dead

Lig dom dul!- Let me go!


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade. **

_Eighteen_ Good Intentions_

Morning after morning, Chase awoke to the clinking of bottles. The pounding in his head and the fogginess in his eyes held a veil over his sense of time. He could not remember how long he had been in the Medicine Suite, just that he had slept on and off to the scurrying sounds of a maid or two coming into the room and changing his bandages. Chase often kept his eyes closed and pretended to sleep on these occasions, hoping to not be disturbed until he felt better enough to talk to anybody, letting his caretakers do their work in peace.

Soft hands, though far from gentle, lifted his head this go-around to unwind the tightness around his forehead still drenched with sweat and sticky with dried blood. Jia, he assumed. All of the others had nervous hands, shaking and tentative because they were afraid to rouse him, but these hands were confident and not afraid to be a bit rough to finish the job. No nonsense.

Chase opened his eyes slightly to sneak a peak, curious to see if his guess was correct. There she was, the miserable shrew. Jia was peering down at her work but had not taken much notice of him. Her focused eyes were far away, determined and dreamy.

Pleased with his assumption, Chase's mouth tugged at a small smile.

Jia noticed him and her inward thoughts turned harshly outward. Grimly, she muttered, "You're awake."

"I guess so," Chase teased.

"Finally."

"I suppose we won," he said as Jia turned her back to cut clean strips of bandage.

"You have a visitor," she clipped, "I'll finish dressing the wound, but it's up to you if you want to see them or not. Though honestly, I'd rather you didn't."

"My father," he assumed.

Her jaw clenched, but continued on with adding herbs to the bandages, smashing them with the palm of her hand to turn them to paste. The bitter scent clicked at the back of Chase's teeth. His own jaw tightened when the sour odor came rushing in from her hands as Jia wound the fresh sheet around his forehead.

"To numb your pain," Jia assured him, smirking as Chase crinkled his nose, "You will get used to the smell in no time if you want to starve off that throbbing."

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled, wincing as his head began to pound again, right on cue.

"Finished," she announced, delicately lifting her hands from under his head.

"Great," Chase mumbled.

"That was quite a hole you've gotten yourself," said Jia, rinsing her hands in the water bowl, "Tala told me how you shielded her when the giants broke through the earth. She'll be relieved to see that you're awake. She specifically asked me to take special care of you."

"I-" Chase stuttered, a blush crawling up his neck, "I was only doing my job."

"No you weren't," said Jia, pausing in the drying of her hands to stare him dead in the face, "Not to me. Thank you for protecting her."

Chase clamped his mouth shut, forcing down the stone rising in his throat. He turned his head as far as the tight bandage and his sore neck would allow, not wanting for Jia to see the red on his nose. "Yeah."

"There was a time, for a while, that we thought you had passed on," said Jia, "Tala was so afraid for you that she refused to leave your bedside until Master Young ordered her to."

Chase's stomach flipped. He gripped the bed sheet, covering his face with his other hand. Heat surged through his cheeks, and Chase could only lie there helplessly in his weakness as Jia watched him.

"Are you alright?" she asked, "Are you in pain? Should I add more herbs?"

"I'm fine!"

Jia gathered up her things onto the tray and brought them back to the other side of the room, smiling.

Chase's embarrassment subsided when a knock at the door, loud and rapid, broke the spell. Jia turned to him, motioning her open palm to the door with a raise of her eyebrows. Chase narrowed his. "If it's any of the masters," he growled, rolling over to his side, "I don't want to see them."

"None of them have visited, save your- Master Young," said Jia, "There is no reason they would come now. You have only just awoken. They would not know."

"I said _none_ of the masters," Chase snapped, "Not even him."

"I'll turn them away, then," said Jia coldly, "It's obvious that you aren't ready for visitors."

Chase grumbled, hiking the sheet over his shoulder.

Chase snapped his eyes open when he heard Tala's faint voice, her funny little accent full and thick, asking, "How is he doing?"

Chase shot up, and immediately regretted it when the throbbing returned, pounding at the back of his head. "Let her in!" he hissed to Jia, pressing his palm against the pain, "Let her in! Let her in!"

Jia shot a wide glare at him, but Chase waved rapidly for her to open the door. Jia rolled her eyes and poked her head back through the crack in the door. "He's awake," Chase heard her grumble, "but delirious. Make it quick."

She backed away from the door as it opened wide enough for Tala to slide through.

Tala looked haggard. He braids had been hastily done. The curls so usually tamed by the tightness of them were flying in every which way, settling along the sides of her face more like clouds with stiff stems, rather than their normal rope-like fluidity. This disarray of her hair only accentuated the baggy shadows beneath her eyes, dull and gray from what Chase assumed was lack of sleep. Her clothes, too, were rumpled. Crinkled as if she had slept in them, tossing and turning all night.

The fog over her eyes lifted, relief shining them over when Tala looked at him. "Hi," she squeaked.

"You look terrible," he snorted.

Relief turned into a sharp glare. "Thanks."

"Give us some space, Jia," said Chase, waving off the other girl with a lazy hand.

"I'd rather not," said Jia, exchanging a look with Tala, who shrugged.

"I'm not asking."

Jia's smile was thin, pulled back tightly by a few choice words words that Chase knew she so desperately wanted to say. Jia bowed instead. "I hadn't thought so, sir," said Jia, "As you wish."

Before departing, she snatched a hold of Tala's shoulder and whispered into the girl's ear, glaring at Chase. Chase smiled at her with a playful shrug, patiently waiting for the maid to leave.

"What was that about?" asked Chase when Tala leaned her back against the closed door.

"She doesn't trust you," said Tala, suppressing a yawn, "I honestly don't blame her."

Chase cleared his throat. "Pull up a chair from the corner so we can talk," he said, "I want to know what happened with Wuya."

Tala didn't bother with the chair. She crumpled onto the floor in front of the cot, her legs folded over each other. Wobbling slightly, she leaned back to look up at him through half-lidded eyes. "I nearly killed her," grumbled Tala.

Chase laughed. "No way, _you_? You were a wreck the last time I saw you!"

Tala shrugged. "I also almost hurt somebody else."

Chase's mouth went dry. "Who?"

"Some boy," she yawned, her accent thick with a need for rest, "Next thing I really knew, I was on top of him."

"But you didn't-"

"Oh, no!" Tala assured him, blinking herself out of her sleep-deprived trance, "No, I didn't. I was just riled up from fighting Wuya, I suppose."

Chase let himself relax. "So, what happened?"

Tala shrugged, "Dashi stopped me. Then Wuya disappeared."

"Of course," he snapped.

"Are you angry that she got away?" asked Tala, sitting up onto her knees to rest her elbows along the edge of the cot.

"No," said Chase, smirking at her when Tala rested her head on her arms, blinking slowly, "It's a bit more complicated than that. You've been up all night, haven't you?"

Tala yawned, long and loud. "More than all night," she answered, letting her eyes linger closed.

"You should sleep," said Chase, ruffling her hair, "I want to hear the entirety of this story when you can actually be awake long enough to complete full sentences."

Tala shot her head up. "_Aon_!" she cried, "No, I actually have something to say to you. It can't wait!"

"You're starting to not speak Chinese, Brave girl," Chase said, letting his hand drop to her cheek, "It can wait."

Tala smacked his hand away, looking flustered. "That's nothing new," she snapped, standing.

"You do it more when you're tired," he pointed out.

Tala's eyes were hard, clear with determination. She steeled her shoulders and clenched her tiny fists. "Let me speak," she demanded, "It's why I came here."

Chase sighed, and motioned with a heavy hand to grant her the floor.

Tala's shoulders slumped and with a deep sigh of her own, she said, "Thank you."

She dropped her gaze, letting thick silence come between them. Chase thought she might collapse, but Tala looked at him again. This time the sharpness in her eyes was foggy, but no less persistent.

"You saved my life," she said, accent rich and deep, "You could have run away from Wuya. You could have let those rocks crush me. Instead, you shielded me. Why?"

"Because It's my job," said Chase, annoyed by having to repeat himself. This only added to the painful headache already throbbing from his wound.

"It didn't have to be," said Tala, "You could have just as easily told the Grand Master that I was already discovered and dead when you reported back to him in order to avoid the penalty of abandoning me."

She grew quiet again. Faintly, Tala added, "It's what I would have done."

The air was weighty around Chase's shoulders, adding more pressure to the pain. He was beginning to feel drowsy too. "I don't believe that," he whispered.

"You don't know me very well."

Instead of dropping her eyes again, Tala held Chase's gaze, challenging him. It wasn't a very effective challenge, not with her wobbling like that.

"I used to be so wary of you," Tala told him, throat bobbing and feet steadying, "You always paraded around with this smiling mask, teasing me and playing games, but I always sensed that there was something more sinister about you. I always felt as though you were holding my secret above my head, waiting for the right moment. "

Tala crossed her arms and looked away, but she couldn't hide the new sheen in her eyes. It wasn't all from sleepiness.

"What moment?"

Tala sighed. "To be honest, I thought that you would have me killed once you were either bored enough or could not glean what you wanted from spending time with me," she admitted slowly, "especially after you confessed your reasons for keeping my secret. You were using me, and so I considered you my most dangerous enemy."

"What," snapped Chase, "No, no, hold up. _Excuse_ me? If anyone should have been wary, it should have been me. I trusted you and you betrayed all of us. You acted like this helpless little kid, then went and trained with Wuya behind my back! _I _should be the one accusing you of wearing a mask, you two-faced little-"

"Let me _finish,_" Tala interrupted sharply, "before you start calling me names. _However_, now I see that I was wrong."

Chase nearly swallowed his tongue. Stunned into silence, he stared at her, the sand in his mouth unrelenting no matter how much he tried to wet his throat.

"You truly are my friend," said Tala, shyly smiling, "If you weren't, you wouldn't have protected me like you did. I suppose I should finally say that I trust you now, whatever that really means."

Chase beamed, his heart leaping. "Say that again," he said.

"What?"

"That you were wrong."

Tala didn't. She dropped her smile, eyebrows falling with it. "Really," she deadpanned.

Chase chuckled. "Worth a shot."

"Right," said Tala, turning and heading straight for the door, "Well, that's it. That's all I wanted to say. I will leave you to your recovery. Sleep well."

"Hold on," said Chase, "I have something to say."

Tala's hand hesitated on the handle. Chase watched her shoulders tense. Maybe she didn't want to know how he felt about her little revelation. Maybe she was just tired and wanted to sleep after finally seeing that he was alive. But, either way, Chase knew that she didn't want to stay. Too bad. It was his turn now.

"You weren't wrong," he said, "Not at first. I would have abandoned you at my first chance, if this had happened when we first met. You and your magic were just a means to an end for me. I didn't care. I wanted you to trust me only because I thought that you could teach me how to use magic myself, not because I wanted to be friends. Honestly, I almost hated you. I thought: How could this little brat have the key to the birthright I would never have?"

Chase gulped down the swell at the back of his throat, heart pounding, as Tala took her hand off of the door. She stayed silent.

"But," he said, "that didn't last very long. Before I knew it, I couldn't stop thinking about you. You were always in my head, always making me worry if someone else found out about you and I wasn't there to protect you from them. I didn't know what you were to me, but I knew that I couldn't sleep well at night not knowing if you were still safe."

Tala turned to look at him, her flimsy braids swinging. "You did?"

Chase nodded. "Yeah, I did. You have no idea how relieved I was when Grand Master Wei ordered me to be your guardian… or how angry I was when Dashi found out. I thought I had failed. If it were anybody else, you would have died. I guess we're lucky that it was him, though I have to admit that I was a bit jealous."

"You really don't like Dashi, do you?" asked Tala.

Chase smiled. "It's complicated," he said, "We grew up together. Naturally, we have a bit of a rivalry. Doesn't help that the masters always compared the two of us. So, yeah you're right. I don't like Dashi, but I don't hate him either."

"If it weren't for Dashi," said Tala, "I would not have been able to drag you to safely."

"And you would have hurt that kid," Chase reminded her, "So I guess we both owe him."

"Honestly," said Tala, rolling her eyes, "I understand why you wanted to protect me."

Of course she'd change the subject. "_Do_ you?" Chase teased.

"It's the same way that I want to protect you."

Chase's stomach dropped. Tala's face was stern. Her eyes watched him expectantly from under heavy lids, but he didn't say anything. Chase couldn't find the words.

"I lied when I said that I would have left you," she admitted, "I thought I would have, but I don't think I really could. My first instinct is normally to just save myself. But during the battle my first instinct was to protect you, and I don't know why."

"Maybe you really have fallen for me," Chase joked.

"No," said Tala, "But I do think there might be something else."

Her eyes were haunted, the shadowy bags beneath them hollowing out their ghostly grey. Tala looked at Chase like she wanted to tell him something but had yet to understand the words herself. Her mouth parted with those words, but none fell out.

"Like what?" Chase prompted.

Tala locked her lips together, and those gleaming thoughts in her eyes retreated back into her head. "Nothing," she said quickly.

It wasn't nothing. He could tell. But the pain from Chase's wound started to throb again, and he was beginning to feel the exhaustion of it. He smiled, letting his suspicion pass unnoticed.

"I'll let you rest," Tala again suggested, turning back to the door.

"You should too," Chase suggested.

"Yeah," she answered faintly. Chase heard the break in her voice as it tapered off into the heavy air. He crumpled the sheet between his fingers, willing himself to be patient. He knew she wouldn't tell him exactly what she was thinking even on a good day. Brave girl needed to have her secrets too, whether he liked it or not.

She slipped through the door and closed it softly, leaving Chase in the silence. With a contented sigh, Chase laid back down. "Wow."

What was it that the bean had told him about the Crown and Pearl? Wanting to be near each other and not knowing exactly why, an overwhelming urge to protect each other from harm, not just wanting to be friends, but that they are supposed to be a part of each other's lives?

His heartbeat quickened and his stomach fluttered at the thought of it. _Tala felt the same._

The memory of Hannibal Bean whispered to him: "_After all, you are the most powerful warrior that the Xiaolin has seen in over five hundred years. You're also close to Tala, who is by far the most likely candidate for the Pearl. It is to be believed that the Crown and the Pearl are actually one in spirit. Tell me, have you ever caught yourself thinking or feeling things about Tala that you know you normally wouldn't?_"

"Yeah," murmured Chase aloud to himself, "Maybe I do."

Chase couldn't help himself. He smiled. He had hope for himself. If he and Tala really were these two warriors, then maybe, just maybe, Chase wouldn't need her magic after all. Grand Master Wei would have no choice but to give Chase what he wanted and deserved.

Never again would he ever feel helpless. With Tala at his side, Chase could do anything.

* * *

Tala collapsed to the ground, exhausted, the moment she walked into her apartment. She rested the back of her head against the paper door and let her tears flow. They splashed up from her gut like a crashing wave, spewing out every wrong thing that had happened since she had arrived at the Xiaolin Temple.

Thoughts were drowned out by her own wailing until she lost her strength. After what had felt like hours, a heaviness sunk into Tala's chest, stuffing down the torrent of anger, fear and sadness until only a few dwindling whimpers remained.

Tala's arms were too heavy to pull up from her sides. Her neck was too numb to even slump to her chest. She stared up at the ceiling, counting the grain lines of the wood, tasting the sour scratchiness that lingered at the back of her throat.

Wuya was gone. Chase was injured. Dashi and Guan probably hated her now, too.

"Why did you leave me here, Papa?" she whispered, "Why won't you come back for me?"

Tala closed her eyes, uplifting a silent prayer that she knew would be left unheard. Mama's gods and ancestors had abandoned her a long time ago.

It didn't matter anymore. Tala needed to make a choice. She could not cling to the old life in her memories anymore. She could no longer cling to Meilin's hand or breathe in Papa's scent. She couldn't even hold on to the ghost of Mama's smile.

_Tá mo chroí istigh ionat, _Papa," she murmured, echoing his last endearment, "and it always will be. But right now,"

Tala pulled up the chord with Mama's pendant out from beneath her robe. The cold metal's weight in her hands sparked the fire beneath her skin to life. Her heart quickened with its awakening, calling to Tala with an unknown purpose. "But now," she said, "I have to break my promise to you."

She covered the pendant with both hands and held it close to herself. "I have to tell them," she whispered tenderly, feeling as though she were whispering to him, "I won't let our secrets hurt anybody else."

This place, no matter how broken it was, no matter how cruel the masters were, was Tala's home. And these people, despite how hard it had been for Tala to trust them, were her family. And if she wanted to protect this new family, she would have to tell them everything. Even if it meant letting go of her Papa for good.

* * *

**Irish translation:**

_Aon_!- No!

_Tá mo chroí istigh ionat- _My heart is within you


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade. **

_Nineteen_ Answers_

Guan sat beneath the stars, crouched over himself on the steps to his apartment. Tala sighed, clenching and unclenching her damp fists. Anything to slow her heart rate.

Tala's feet were lead, dragging her spirit and suffocating her as if she had been thrown into a lake and left to drown.

Guan met her eyes at the sound of her footfall, meeting Tala's tight smile with a sigh. His ashen cheeks and hollow eyes clawed at his face. He attempted a heavy smile, just barely making a joyless arc before dropping it.

"You're alive," said Guan, "I'm guessing that means Chase is too."

"Yes," said Tala, "for now. Master Young might still yet be able to change the Grand Master's mind."

"He had no right to hit you," said Guan.

"You didn't stop him."

"I was following Master's orders," Guan told her, his voice as brittle as the stick he was twirling in his hands, "I didn't know that Master Young was-"

He snapped the twig in half, hands shaking. Tala bent down and took his palms into hers. Guan jerked his head up, startled eyes wide.

"Guan," said Tala, "I know-"

"I'm sorry," he interrupted, "you must have been so afraid. I didn't help much."

"I was more angry than anything," Tala shrugged, "if you hadn't held me back, I might have done more damage to Master Young than he did to me."

"No, not that," said Guan with a shake of his head," well, _yes_ that, but... Tala, Chase and Dashi told me what you are."

Tala hesitated, lightly rubbing her thumbs over Guan's calloused palms. She stared at his hands. "Do you hate me then?" she whispered, "After all, witches can't be trusted."

"No!" cried Guan, "I don't hate you. I have no reason to."

He tapered off awkwardly. Tala counted her heartbeats, distracting herself from the gnawing in her gut left there by his held back words.

"I am angry that I didn't know,"Guan finally said, "I am angry that I frightened you. You've kept your distance because of my hatred for witches."

Guan looked into Tala's eyes. Squeezing her hands, he said, "If I had known, I would never have said such terrible things. I wanted us to be friends, Tala."

It was in the way Guan's voice shook that set Tala on edge. He sounded sad, but his eyes were not. They were sharper, more intentional than remorse, probing Tala's face for something hidden.

Sighing, Tala said, "I wish we could be."

Her unspoken _but_ hung in the air between them. She knew that Guan understood her distrust when he broke eye contact.

Guan then smiled and the sharpness faded. "What will you do now that Wuya is gone?" he asked.

Tala shook her head and sat back, resting on her hands. "I don't know," she admitted, "I don't know much of anything. Back there, at the battle, I..."

Tala turned her face away, remembering the terror of that boy squirming beneath her. Her throat began to tighten. She could still feel his pulse quickening at the mercy of her hands. It swam like a phantom river behind her fingertips.

"What happened?"

Tala took a deep breath in and looked up at the starry sky. "I think you may be right about witches."

"Not about you."

"Yes you were," she whispered, hot tears falling onto her cheeks and cooling in the night's summery chill.

They sat in silence. Frogs sang and crickets chirped in place of their conversation, filling in the awkward hole that Tala's words had left.

"I don't want to become more powerful," Tala finally said, swallowing down that look of fear in the warrior boy's eyes that came every time she closed hers. "I'm afraid."

"You should be," said Guan, "Magic is a dangerous thing."

"I liked it," she whispered, "I liked the fear in their eyes. All those warriors staring at me with awe. Guan, what if I become like Wuya?"

"Then I'll kill you."

Guan's voice was light, but when Tala looked at him, his face was stern. Guan's eyes were calculated and focused on both Tala and nothing at all, as if he was already planning out the best way to kill her.

Anxiety clawed at Tala's chest, tightening in her lungs. She looked away again, ripping up grass as her fingers curled into her palms.

"Good," Tala told him with a bitter set to her jaw. Though it went against all of her instincts, this felt like the best solution. The sound of the soldiers' screams as Wuya held Tala's arm behind her head still made her shudder. "I'd rather die than be like that monster."

"I don't blame you."

_'But do you?' _asked a voice in Tala's head, '_Are you really willing to give up the life you've fought to keep for so long just so a few humans can sleep better at night?'_

Tala squeezed her eyes tightly, willing it away. But instead, she kept hearing the screaming men as rock giants devoured them. '_Do you really want to die for the people who despise you? Do you honestly think they deserve it?'_

"I don't know," admitted Tala out loud.

"You don't know what?"

Tala flinched. She had forgotten that Guan was even there. She looked at him, heart pounding.

"I don't-" she stammered, "I don't know what to do."

"Can you control your magic?"

Tala hesitated, pulling up chunks of grass again with her worrying fingers. Perhaps she could. Perhaps she couldn't. Perhaps she didn't want to.

"Is there anything that you _can_ control?" asked Guan, leaning forward.

"I-" she swallowed hard.

Tala looked at Guan sheepishly.

"I have Push," she said, "I mean I can make things move. Summon them when I need them."

"Is there anything else you can do?"

Tala remembered the horrified look the Grand Master gave her when she had presented her fan to him.

"I can create," she admitted, suppressing a shudder, "I can make weapons."

* * *

All four children were gathered in the Medicine Suite, yawning and stretching aching bones that cried for a good night's rest. Guan and Tala had agreed to call an unofficial meeting of the Apprentices without alerting the masters. Because of this, all four of them were awake at this unfathomable hour, each face drooping like wet dough.

"So you mean to tell me," said Dashi as he suppressed a yawn, "that you can create magical weapons?"

"I only did it once," Tala told him, "and it was with Wuya. She taught me how. I think I might be able to do it alone with enough practice."

"Why can't we tell the masters this?" asked Guan, "Shouldn't Grand Master Wei be kept informed?"

The phantom of Grand Master Wei's dark eyes glared down at Tala when she told them, "He was the first to know."

"Okay, so what's the plan?" asked Chase.

Tala folded her arms. "I might be able to help you all have some sort of magical advantage against Wuya. If I can make more weapons, you should be able to fight her hand-to-hand like I can."

Chase, the only one out of the three who did not completely look like he was about to strangle her, asked, "And you couldn't tell us this in the morning?"

"Not with Master Young around," said Tala, "I can't risk it."

"Look, Tal," said Chase, "I understand that you and my dad aren't on the best of terms, but why exactly don't you want to tell the masters about this?"

"He would be against it," said Tala, "Master Young is against anything worth its salt in magic."

"So am I," grumbled Guan under his breath.

"Even so," she continued, "this may be our best chance to truly be rid of Wuya."

"I'm in," said Chase, brightening, "What are you making for me?"

Dashi elbowed Chase's arm. Chase snorted, shoving him back.

"It depends on if this works or not," said Tala, "Just be prepared if I need you."

"Need us for what?" asked Dashi.

"To focus," Tala answered, "I might need someone with me to help keep myself centered. My magic might go awry, otherwise."

Sheepishly, she added, "I haven't quite mastered all of it yet. However..."

"However what?" asked Chase.

Tala sighed heavily, trying her best to smile away her jitters. The smile became a grimace when the butterflies in her stomach twisted into a hive of angry bees. "I have something to confess."

"Get on with it, then," grumbled Dashi.

"Go on," Guan encouraged gently.

Tala took a deep breath and released it slowly, shuddering. "I-" she said, "You all know that Wuya is my aunt."

"Yeah," answered Chase slowly, "and?"

"There is more," said Tala, looking each in the eye, "You've probably guessed by now that my mother was a witch. She wasn't just Wuya's sister. She was her twin. Wuya knew who I was through an internal link they shared. The minute my mother died, she came looking for me."

The boys were silent, save for Chase. He yawned rather loudly, earning another jab in the ribs from Dashi. Chase yelped then grumbled under his breath, and again their attentions were upon Tala.

"Her name was Shi-Ahn," Tala continued, "and it was through both her and Wuya that-"

Tala gulped and did her best to keep from speaking too fast, since her accent was already beginning to grow thick with nerves.

"That the Xiaolin Dragons lost their magic!" she nearly shouted, squeezing her eyes closed as the rest of her body went completely rigid.

The boys didn't react right away, but it was Dashi who spoke first. Tala slowly opened one eye as he said, "Wait, what?"

Chase jumped in angrily, made angrier still by his wounds and lack of sleep. "You mean to tell us you knew this the entire time and you didn't _tell_ anybody?!"

Guan only glared at Tala. He was possibly even willing to throw actual daggers at her if he could.

Tala tossed up her hands in defense. "Look," she said, blanching, "I didn't know any of this until Wuya found me in order to finish what she and Mama started. Wuya wanted to train me to take my mother's place and get rid of the Xiaolin Dragons for good. That's why she came after me."

"But she found you here instead," said Guan, "a Xiaolin Trainee and future Xiaolin Dragon yourself."

"Yes," answered Tala, "but that's not all."

With a shaky breath, she added, "I know how to bring your magic back."

This time there was no waiting for the boys to respond. They all shot to their feet, their voices shouting in an indistinguishable chorus of anger and surprise. Tala cowered against the wall as the much larger boys began to crowd, all demanding for her to answer them.

"_Leor_!" shouted Tala, blocking her ears and diving into a crouch, "Stop yelling at me!"

Chase dragged Tala up by her collar and held her against the wall. "Tell us," he snarled, "_Now_."

Dashi and Guan sobered quickly from their rage. It was Dashi who shot him a warning. "Chase, don't."

Chase only drew his face closer, crumpling Tala's tunic with his white knuckles. "The truth," he growled, "or so help me-"

Chase was abruptly yanked away by Guan as Dashi told him, "Enough. Go cool off and sit down."

Tala still pressed herself to the wall, breathing heavily. Her heartbeat pressed through her skin, a living thing trying to claw its way out.

Chase looked more disappointed than angry when he said, "You promised," before returning to his bed.

Tala's face threatened to crumble when a rush of tears suddenly overtook her. Instead of giving in, she swallowed them. Tala's eyes welled just the same, and a few tears spilled over her cheeks anyway. "I didn't lie," she whimpered quietly.

"No," bit Chase, "you just kept telling me I couldn't use magic while you knew all along how to bring it back to us."

"What are you two talking about?" demanded Dashi, "What's going on?"

"Chase was trying to learn magic from me," said Tala, glaring straight back at Chase, "He's just angry that I didn't tell him the answer privately."

"Don't turn this around on me!" Chase hissed, "You're the one who lied to all of us!"

"I didn't lie!" shouted Tala, "I needed something to protect myself with, alright? If I had told Grand Master Wei when I first found out, he would have taken the answer from me and have me killed! The thing is that I don't trust the Cycle to keep me safe. They've had their Xiaolin Dragons for three hundred years without your precious Wind Dragon, and you lot can sure as hell can get along without me."

Tala had to stop before she actually began to cry. Hiccuping back tears, she said, "The Grand Master only kept me around because he knew I could get the information he wanted from Wuya. After that, he'll have me burned. Just biding his time until your magic returns. That's why he sent me out first to ambush Wuya. I think he meant for me to die on the front line. For all I know, he's plotting his next move to kill me as we speak!"

"That's-" Guan began sharply, but Dashi cut in with softer words.

"Are you sure about that?" he asked gently, "Maybe you're just confused."

"She's paranoid," Guan scoffed.

Dashi shot a glare back at him. "Can you blame her?"

Chase was glowering at Tala from the bed, but his eyes softened with understanding when their stares met again. Tala knew that she could count on him to believe her. That was all it took to keep her brave.

"I'm not paranoid," she said softly, staring Chase dead in the eye.

He gave Tala the slightest of nods, but Guan spoke up before Chase could.

"The Grand Master has done nothing but defend you," he chided, "Dashi is right. You are just confused. This is just a fantasy brought about by Master Young's threats."

"You're safe, Tal," said Dashi, "No one is going to hurt you."

Somehow, the genuine kindness of his face made it worse. Tala nearly screamed with frustration, and looked to Chase as her panic rose, silently begging him to help her before she exploded.

Tala's hands were already burning, pins and needles buzzing with the promise of deadly consequences.

Chase took the hint with another nod, mouthing the word "breathe."

Tala took a deep breath, going along with the silent advice, and averted her eyes to the floor, focusing all of her spare energy on suppressing the magic, tasting orange at the back of her throat.

Her own tight nod must have given Guan the impression that Tala agreed with him, because he spoke again. "Since that's settled, why don't you tell us how to bring magic back to the Cycle?"

Still attempting to keep a firm hold over the barely held back power, Tala's voice strained. "We each must give up what we hold most dear in order to break Wuya's curse."

"And your mother's," corrected Guan.

Tala nodded again, her nails nearly drawing blood from her palms. The orange had moved on from Tala's throat and invaded her mouth, coating her tongue thickly enough to almost make her gag. She just barely swallowed it down.

"What we hold most dear," said Dashi, "Why that?"

"Wuya told me that humans will never give up what they keep closest, even at the cost of everyone else," explained Tala, "You're all too greedy. In the end, you humans chicken out right before giving it up, despite the best of intentions."

"The perfect curse," agreed Chase.

He looked at Tala earnestly, admitting, "I'm not sure if I could give up what I hold closest, no matter how much I really want this."

Tala finally felt the magic relax, no longer sensing a potential fight. It receded from her fingertips, leaving Tala with a cold shiver. Traces of the orange remained beneath her tongue, the rancid aftermath of a tsunami.

"What about you?" asked Dashi.

Tala looked at him, her heart sinking. Giving up her dream of having a family would be one thing, even a family with Dashi, but Tala had to admit that the dream of him, no matter how tempting, fell short in her heart to self-preservation.

"My magic was passed down from my mother," she explained with a shrug, "I can't use my element, but I still have what I assume is everything else, or at least as much as a half-witch would have."

"But would you give up what you held most dear in order to help us?" asked Guan.

"I don't know," she said, "After all, I'm still half human so I'm not immune to the curse. I'm about as weak in this as you are."

But Tala did know. Nothing else mattered if her own life could be spared. Tala considered the lie a kindness to them, but she knew that too was a lie.

'_I'll never stop protecting myself_,' her heart vowed, '_Even if the world burns, I'd rather stand over the ashes than to be one of the corpses_.'

Tala gasped at the ruthlessness of the thought. What chilled her blood colder was that it was right.

"Are you okay?" asked Chase, leaning forward.

Tala turned away from the boys, staring at the wall. "There's more," she told them, voice thick and shaking.

"More?" asked Guan, harsher, probably, than he had meant to be.

"There is a prophecy," she began, lifting her head to stare at the ceiling and stuff down the tears that came.

Tala heard Chase's cott squeak as he rose from it, but there was no other sound. She dreaded facing them for this one.

"Wuya told me about a prophecy: two warriors from both sides abandoning their own people in favor of the other. They are said to be so powerful that they will bring the world back into balance once they're united."

"The Crown and the Pearl," whispered Chase.

The awe in his voice made Tala curious enough to forget her fear for a moment and turn around. Standing must have taxed him after his outburst, the stiff way he stood and the sheen of sweat on his pale skin told her as much, but Chase stood tall and stared at her with round eyes and an outstretched hand like he had just seen the ghost of a lost friend.

"Where did you hear about it?" asked Tala, watching the shock pour out from his eyes and pool into relief down at his feet.

"Library scrolls," he dismissed with a gasp, gulping for air.

She nearly rushed to help him, looking so much in pain, but Chase stood taller, defiant against his head injury.

Tala moved on, ignoring the way he looked at her with a weak but wry smile.

"Wuya," she said, looking each boy between the eyes, "thinks I'm the Heylin warrior fighting for the side of good."

Tala let that sink in for them, just barely able to keep her hands from shaking.

"Who's the Xiaolin one?" asked Guan.

Chase had that strange look again. Tala feared he might fall over.

"I don't know," she answered, "but I think we should let Chase rest before he dies right here on the floor."

"You can't just drop that on us and close the meeting," said Dashi, "but you're right."

He looked at Chase, worry creasing his forehead. "You need to rest. We've overstayed enough as it is."

"We'll have to discuss all of this later," agreed Guan.

Chase looked stunned. "But-"

Tala rolled her eyes and grabbed Chase by the arm. She patiently guided him to his cott.

"You're going to bed," Tala insisted, lightly pushing on Chase's chest to make him sit down.

"Careful, will ya?" Chase chuckled with a wince.

"Just," said Tala, now at the height enough to push his forehead with her finger, "go to bed. We'll talk later."

Chase sighed and laid down. "Yeah, yeah."

"See you later, buddy," Dashi waved with a smile, heading out of the door.

"Rest well," said Guan cheerfully, not too far behind Dashi.

When Tala went to leave, Chase snatched her wrist. "Wait," he said, "I have something to tell you."

"Can it wait?" grumbled Tala, "The rest of us still have sunrise training tomorrow."

"Hey, you're the one who kept us all up halfway to sunrise," said Chase, "You can spare another five minutes."

Tala sighed and Chase relaxed his grip.

"The prophecy," he said, "Do you really think you're the Heylin warrior?"

Tala looked away. "I hope I'm not," she told him, red stinging her cheeks, "but Wuya is completely convinced."

"If it is true, then," said Chase, "maybe your Crown is a lot closer than you think."

"_My_ Crown?" Tala scoffed.

Chase smiled, eyes sparkling. "Yes," he said, covering Tala's hand with his free one, "your Crown, and you are _his_ Pearl. Legend says that they will always protect each other."

His eyes flicked from their hands to her face. "They belong together," Chase added so very quietly. His tender smile was as genuine as Tala had ever seen it. "Their bond can never be broken."

Chase's grip was loose enough for Tala to slip out of. He didn't complain when she did. She went for the door without a word of parting.

* * *

**AN:**

**It's been a long time coming, folks, but I'm back! I can finally start updating regularly again. I'll also be editing earlier chapters, so the process might still be slow for the next couple of weeks. **

**Thanks for reading!**

**Irish translation:**

_**leor**_**\- enough**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

Twenty_ It Begins

"Come on, you stupid thing!" hissed Tala, dropping the sword she had been levitating for the fifth time.

With a grunt of frustration she threw herself back, flattening her shoulders against the floor. Tala stared at the ceiling, her head spinning from wasting so much magical energy with such little sleep.

"One last try," she convinced herself half-heartedly, "and then I'll sleep."

With a stubborn sigh, Tala tried again, lifting her arms and the sword with them. The rusted thing she had found in her inheritance pile hovered above her, too dull to be menacing.

"I hate you," she grumbled, "Why don't you just absorb my magic like a good little sword and we can call it a night, hey?"

The sword glimmered lacklusterly in defiance. Tala groaned. "Come on," she begged, "work with me! Wuya said for me to be brave enough to let myself have you, and I want you, so change!"

The sword did nothing but float.

"Change!" she demanded again.

Nothing.

"Please change?"

Still nothing. Just the slight dip of the blade as her concentration faltered.

A knock at the door broke Tala's spell and she just barely dodged the sword with a yelp, rolling to her side while it impaled the floorboard beside her.

Tala side-glared the sword. "Oh," she growled, "I _so_ hate you."

The knocking became more rapid, forcing Tala to get up and greet them. Opening the door a crack, she hissed, "What?"

It was Jia. The sudden appearance of her old friend surprised Tala enough to open the door much wider.

"Jia," she breathed, "What are you doing here?"

Jia's furious eyes were wide with worry. Her braid had come loose around her face, reflecting orange from the candle she held. Dressed in but only a nightgown and a pair of flimsy slippers, Jia was the perfect painting of a woman gone mad from lack of sleep.

"I was headed for the washroom when I heard loud noises coming from your room," Jia seethed, "I had feared the worst! I thought a robber had come!"

"Well, one hasn't and I'm fine, so you can leave now," Tala dismissed, beginning to shut the door, "Thanks for coming, bye."

Jia's grip was strong. She stopped Tala's door by snatching it with slender fingers much more able than any maid's should have been. "What were you doing, then?" Jia growled, eyes glinting with sleepless vengeance, "It's near sunrise!"

Tala looked at Jia's hand on the door then flicked a glare right back up at her. "Nothing," she said, "goodnight."

Tala tried again to close it, but Jia stayed her shaking hand. "I'm coming in."

"What?" hissed Tala as Jia barged her way through. Tala was helpless to only follow her in. "Jia, no! Go back to sleep!"

Jia stopped short, gasping with what Tala could only call a mother's fury. She had obviously seen the sword, along with the other weapons Tala had tried with that were lying scattered across the floor.

Tala stepped from around her friend, blocking Jia's view of her near-death experience with a shrug. "It's not as bad as you think," was all the comfort Tala could offer to the maid still sputtering with rage.

"That sword is sticking out of the floor!" cried Jia.

Tala stopped herself from rolling her eyes. "It's just something I'm working on," she said, taking Jia by the arms and turning her toward the door, "Satisfied? I'd like to go to bed now, if you don't mind."

"Just promise me you won't run yourself through with that thing so I can sleep without nightmares," snapped Jia over her shoulder.

"I love you too," Tala snapped back, shoving her out, "Now leave me alone."

SLAM!

Frustrated, Tala slid down against the door. Bone tired, she rested her head against the grainy wood and closed her eyes.

"Think, Tala," she coaxed herself, rubbing her hands over her face to be rid of the sleepiness, "Think! If not the sword, then..."

Tala dropped her hands into her lap and snapped her eyes open. "I missed something."

Wuya had spoken about not just wanting the object, but using her imagination. Despairing, Tala grumbled and looked up at the ceiling.

"If I couldn't even see my fan from that leaf," she mumbled, "how in Heaven can I expect to create weapons to fight against Wuya with?"

Silence answered her, but Tala already knew. "Because you can only see what's in front of you," she growled in defeat.

With a sigh, Tala pushed herself up from the ground. She looked to the little round table in the far corner. Her hair brush laid there. An ordinary object to be sure, but maybe with the right motivation, Tala could do with that brush what she couldn't with the sword.

Tala smiled, snatching it up. "Maybe I'll be able to see something in you!" she said, "After all, my fan was a leaf once. Maybe _you_ could be..."

She stared at it. Nothing really changed in her mind. It was still just a brush. Not a dagger, not a whip, just a brush.

Tala stared harder, willing her eyes to focus on what she could not see. Tala squeezed the handle so hard that the wood nearly cracked.

With a squeak, Tala dropped the brush onto the table again. It clattered with a clack and rattle before settling, and the room fell dead silent again.

"Sorry," she told the brush, "I forgot my strength. New power, and all. Just coming in."

It was a good reminder not to hug the boys much for the next couple of weeks. She needed to figure out a way to keep out of the Sands, too. Less risk of injury for everybody.

"Master Young won't like that," Tala muttered, imagining his amber eyes glowering at her excuse already, "but Grand Master Wei should be pleased. One more reason to burn me."

Tala shook her head, fighting off haziness. "No, Tala, focus!" she growled, "Brush. Imagine something new for the brush. Worry about your death sentence later. This may be the only thing that can save you."

Tala, deciding not to use her hands this time, flicked the brush up by her index finger into the air, suspending it at eye-level with a bob.

"Wuya may have imagination on her side," Tala told herself triumphantly, "but I have my thirst for survival."

With another swish of her finger, the brush snapped up straight. It faithfully hovered, awaiting Tala's instruction while she tucked her chin between her fingers and thought.

Practically setting it on fire with her blurry eyes, Tala waited and waited for her answer to come. None did.

"I'll just try anyway," she grumbled, "like with the sword."

The instant Tala raised her hand to pour her magic into it, the brush flew and crashed into the little mirror hanging on the wall. She winced as her brush fell with a loud crash, raining down broken glass.

Tala stood in front of her little mirror, breathing heavily. What was left of the glass spiderwebbed across her face. "I, I-" Tala choked, kneeling down to pick up the broken brush, "I don't understand. I thought I was doing everything right!"

Tala watched many fragments of herself touch her cheek when she stood up, wiping a tear away. "Why can't I do this?"

Tala double-took before turning away, catching a full reflection of her face on the lower half of the mirror, still unharmed.

Tala's eyes were white again, just like the time she had caught her reflection against the jade stone floor of the Council Chamber. Her lips were fuller, her face darker, and the black dot of a freckle, to be blamed by the hot sun while training most likely, made itself a home beneath her left eye. Tala's hair was ever still that same stark black like always, but- "Mama," she whispered, awe creeping into her chest, "I really do look like her."

Tala twirled one of her curls absentmindedly, the reminder of her mother bringing up thoughts about Wuya. Was she hiding someplace, licking her wounds and plotting revenge? Or had she already healed and now was lying in wait for the Warriors to let down their guard?

Tala shuddered, remembering the feral way Wuya stared at her when she had discovered Tala's betrayal. Even worse, the light of pride piercing through it with admiration.

She felt dizzy and stumbled backward, catching herself on the desk with the flat of her palm. The scrolls on it rattled and fell to the ground, unraveling themselves. Tala looked at an open scroll, her eyes drawn to the characters '_Crown_' and '_Pearl_,' then scrambled to catch it before it fell with the rest.

Tala could hardly breathe as she began to read, her hands shaking violently enough to crumple the edges of the parchment. This was the very same poem that Wuya had recited to her:

_Heylin born with Xiaolin ties, Xiaolin born to Heylin lies.  
Deceit is the Crown, but truth is the Pearl.  
Like a pair of lovers torn, they split the world.  
But unless they can restore balance anew,  
chaos will take its reign full and true_.

The prophecy of the Crown and Pearl had been under her nose this entire time!

"My predecessor must have known about this," whispered Tala, rolling up the scroll carefully.

After tidying the rest and placing everything neatly back into her inheritance pile, Tala studied all of the scrolls, chests, swords and small knick-knacks. One thing that caught her eye, glimmering in the candlelight, was a paper dragon kite.

Tala picked it up gingerly, pinching both wings between her fingers, praying uselessly that she wouldn't rip it. She let out a sigh of relief when she didn't, and sat down with it on her mat.

Petting the thin parchment of its back like a living animal, Tala whispered to a master she knew was centuries long dead, "Why did you disappear for so long?"

Dread settled into the pit of her stomach as Tala's mind reeled to the memory of the pure hatred in the Grand Master's eyes when she had been caught by Chase.

Looking at the _Crown and Pearl_ scroll still lingering on her desk, she dreaded the question, though none but her would hear it: "What secrets did you keep?"

* * *

Tala nearly crushed the old scroll between her fingers as she stood outside of the golden dragon doors of the Grand Master's private library. She scuffled back quickly as they opened, heart pounding. Chien-Po, the little eunuch boy with his purple robes and six-pointed hat, pushed himself between them. He struggled to keep the doors open as he whispered behind a shaking hand, "The Grand Master has asked for no one to visit him in his library, Honored Apprentice. Please go away. You will be summoned when he-"

"Please let me pass," Tala ground through her teeth, audibly crackling the parchment in her hands, "This is important."

Chien-Po paled, flinching like a rabbit caught between the teeth of a fox. He was trapped between his duty to his master and disobeying the unbreakable order of a future Xiaolin Dragon. Tala rolled her eyes, making up the poor child's mind for him.

"I'll take the blame," she insisted, placing a hand on his shoulder to move the smaller boy aside. He felt surprisingly thin beneath the large robes. The shock of feeling Chien-Po's bones underneath the cloth was enough of a moment's hesitation for him to push Tala back, startlingly strong.

"He is already in a foul mood this morning," the little eunuch insisted, "Please don't make him angrier. Go away."

"No, Chien-Po," Tala hissed, pressing against him right back, but careful not to use her full weight. He grunted when she accidentally jabbed him with her shoulder, but with the solid leverage of the doors on his side, Chien-Po did not move.

"I don't care if the Grand Master turns into a dragon and threatens to bite my head off," said Tala, "I'm going in there. You can't stop me, and it is urgent that the Grand Master read this parchment."

Tala squeezed her way through as a voice from inside spoke, crumbling like the scroll in her hands, "Oh let her in, boy. The news this young Dragon brings can't be much worse than what I've already heard."

Tala squinted against the dark, candles being her only relief. She wandered in, squaring her shoulders. On the other side of the large room, lined from the floor to the ceiling with cubbies full of scrolls, the Grand Master was hunched over his desk, surrounded by the clustered light of at the very least twenty candles hovering above him on pronged posts. His dragon robe, red embroidered by snaking gold, was fanned out behind him. Tala startled back when it inched forward with his movements, thankful that she hadn't accidentally stepped on it.

Grand Master Wei turned to Tala, his bald head shining under the flickering candlelight. Beneath the bushy white of his eyebrows, his black eyes were casted with shadow. They were hard to discern, but the grim line of the Grand Master's bearded mouth told Tala everything she needed to know about his search for Wuya.

"Well?" snapped the old man, "Out with it, girl. Show me that scroll you're crumpling in your hands, or be on your way. That is, if you haven't ripped it in half yet."

Tala didn't trust Grand Master Wei, that was for certain, but he was the oldest- and dare she say, the wisest- person in this Temple. By what she knew, he was the only one able to provide the answers Tala sought, whether she liked it or not.

Tala closed her eyes for a moment's pause, then looked him dead in the eye, unafraid for once. She handed him the scroll gingerly, careful not to rip the already fragile paper.

Grand Master Wei frowned as he inspected it, unrolled and sagging between his hands. Tala winced when she noticed light piercing through the frayed cracks that spiderwebbed it, thanks to her handling. She prayed it was still readable.

"You've taken rather poor care of this," he mumbled, before his eyes suddenly grew wide. The Grand Master's mouth hung open before he matched Tala's stare. "Where did you get this?"

"It was with my things," Tala explained calmly, though her pounding heart threatened to give her away. "I found it last night. It seems important. That poem-"

"This isn't a poem," said the Grand Master, rubbing his eyebrows with his thumb and forefinger, "It's a prophecy. One that I had hoped would not resurface until we were rid of Wuya for good."

"Prophecy," repeated Tala, dropping her eyes to the floor. '_He can't know that you know, Tala_,' she reminded herself, '_Just try to get the information you need and leave_.'

"Yes," said Grand Master Wei, rolling the scroll up carefully, "A prophecy about the fate of magic, and of our world itself."

"Why would my predecessor have it?"

Grand Master Wei stared at Tala, dark eyes deep in thought, darting to-and-fro across her face as if picking her apart and putting her together again. After a moment, he curtly nodded his head and whispered, "Come."

* * *

The Grand Master looked each Apprentice in the eye before speaking. "I'm sure that at least once or twice in your learnings here at this temple, the four of you have come in contact with this poem."

He told them this, holding up the _Crown and Pearl_ scroll. The boys stared blankly at him, but Tala couldn't help fidgeting on her knees. If the Grand Master had noticed Tala's discomfort, he hadn't shown signs of knowing. Instead, he rolled the scroll up and began to pace in front of the kneeling Apprentices, who bowed as he passed them. Tala's forehead scraped against the grainy wood, already feeling pebbly indents burrowing their way into her skin.

"Do any of you know why the Wind Dragon hadn't returned to us for over three hundred years until Tala was chosen?" asked Grand Master Wei sharply.

They shook their heads, Tala included.

Displeased, but not at all surprised, the Grand Master frowned, stopping himself mid-stride to stand in front of Tala. With hands folded behind his back, Grand Master Wei stared down at her, waiting.

"He was a traitor."

It was Chase who said it, his forehead touching the ground like the rest, but his back was arched and rigid. Tala stole a side glance at him and could see his hardened, focused eyes glaring at the wooden floor of the pavilion with a frightening eagerness.

Tala watched the Grand Master's feet leave her and step in front of Chase. "Very good," he said, and with a subtle flick of his wrist told them, "Rise, all of you. It is time you know the truth."

Tala sighed with relief when she sat up, rubbing her sore neck. Pins and needles flowed back through her legs from her ankles, leaving icy pain where they left.

Tala looked at Chase beside her, obediently staring ahead blankly, completely calm and stone-like. Her stomach dropped at how lifeless he seemed, though she could see his chest rising and falling.

The other boys, too were sitting perfectly with that glossy look in their eyes, awaiting instructions. Perfect soldiers. Then there was Tala, the useless witch brat, unable to even rise to Apprentice rank like her peers. She flushed at the reminder, shuffling on her knees again.

Chien-Po poured tea for the Grand Master at the little table where he was now sitting comfortably, excessive robes piling over the chair and onto the floor, spilling out in a puddle of shimmering silk.

"This scroll," explained Grand Master Wei, placing it on the table beside the teapot, "was never meant to exist. But somehow it has found its way in the hands of our current Wind Dragon. You are telling me that none of you know what it is?"

A chorus of "No, sir"s came from them as the Grand Master took a sip of his tea, eyeing each and every one of the children with a glare. He drained the cup and handed it to Chien-Po, standing.

He was in front of Tala again. Tala saw Chase visibly tense at the corner of her eye, and she herself had flinched at the Grand Master's swiftness to stand before her. "You've read this poem," he asked, more of a demand than a question.

"Only when I-"

"Repeat it."

Tala swallowed. "I only know a l-"

"Repeat it," Grand Master Wei ordered, "_Now_."

"Heylin b-born with Xiaolin ties," Tala stammered, "X-Xiaolin born to Heylin lies. Deceit is the Crown, but truth is the Pearl. Like a pair of lovers torn-"

"That's enough," snapped the Grand Master, dismissing her with a disgusted roll of his eyes and a wave of his hand, "I knew you were lying."

Tala's stomach flipped right up into her throat. The Grand Master did not wait for her excuse. Stepping away from her again, he paced back and forth briskly.

"This poem is not a poem at all," he said, a flurry of silk and rage, "It is a prophecy. And one far more _dangerous_ than any of you can possibly comprehend."

"Then why did my predecessor have it?" asked Tala, refusing to be intimidated.

It was the boys this time, Guan and Dashi, who fidgeted on their knees. Chase was as unmovable and as unreadable as stone. The only exception was the slight curl of his fists when the Grand Master answered Tala, stopping in front of her again.

"As Chase has already told us," he said, "the last Wind Dragon was a traitor. He was searching for the very thing this prophecy describes. The Crown and Pearl, two warriors destined to bring nature back into balance, and even to be the rulers of the world. He had claimed that finding them was the only way to protect the innocent and destroy Heylin once and for all. He became obsessed with it until this prophecy consumed him. Eventually, he did something so despicable that, out of the dishonor he caused the Xiaolin Dragons, we do not speak his name. The last Wind Dragon was taken down by his fellow Dragons and was executed. This scroll was supposed to have been burned with him. The Wind Dragon died with a madness in him, chasing ghosts and powers beyond anyone's control. He died keeping _secrets._"

The Grand Master looked at Tala. A deep-set anger in his eyes, sharper than a dagger, burrowed into hers, intent on digging out the truth.

With an anger of her own, Tala stood, heat raging beneath her fingertips. Balling her hands into fists, willing the magic away, she could not help but shout, "He's not the only one that kept secrets, is he?"

"No," Grand Master Wei answered the challenge with allegation in his eyes, "He isn't. Why did you have the prophesy in your possession, young monk?"

"Why didn't you tell us about this?" Tala shot back.

"You had it memorized," he continued calmly, "Tell me, what did you hope to gain by coming to me with the scroll, now?"

"I came to you because I thought you could help me to understand what it means!" said Tala, "I haven't done wrong! If I had wanted to do something like my predecessor did, do you honestly think I would come to you? Why doesn't anybody trust me?!"

"You haven't given any of us a reason to trust you," said Guan.

Tala whipped her head around, eyes wide. Her hands went cold, the fire snuffed out by shock.

"Haven't given reason?" she whispered, "I saved Chase's life! I beat Wuya! I've been using my magic for good! For all of you! How have I not given you reason?!"

Guan looked back at Tala, but he said nothing else. Just held her eyes with a steadfast stare, solid and stubborn.

"Then tell the Grand Master what you're doing," Dashi this time, "Tell him what you told us."

Tala expected him to look like Guan, resolute and untrusting, but instead, he shrugged at her shyly. "You're on our side," he said, "so there's nothing to hide."

Defeated and knowing when to quit, Tala met the Grand Master's smiling eyes. His mouth was a thin line of anticipation, and Tala knew she would regret her words the moment she said them.

Bowing, she said, "Master, I have found a way to create weapons. I can grant some of my magic to them, if I try hard enough, and consider it a grand opportunity to defeat Wuya permanently."

The Grand Master raised an eyebrow. Though his mouth was grim, Grand Master Wei could not hide the excitement dancing behind his eyes. "And what do I gain by knowing this?"

"I only ask that you will grant me permission to make them, both for myself and the Xiaolin Apprentices," Tala answered, "Four with magic is better against one sorceress than three without."

It was now that the Grand Master allowed himself to smile. "I accept, young one," he said, "You must begin to make these weapons right away. My Intelligence says that Wuya is not too far off. If she is still nearby by the time these weapons of yours are ready, we may finally be able to track her down and be rid of this witch once and for all."

* * *

**AN: Before you ask what the last Wind Dragon did, don't. I won't tell you. **

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Have a good evening! **


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

_Twenty One__ Close Ties

The days became weeks and those weeks became months as Tala began her work. She was more than unsuccessful, nearly breaking every weapon she had set her mind to animate.

Now over three months into her attempts to create magical weapons, Tala felt at a loss. Most of her days and all of her nights had been dedicated to finding a way to create them on her own without the help of Wuya to guide her. But no matter how hard she tried, Tala felt that the closer she got to the answer the further it slipped away from her fingers. She had even sacrificed martial arts training to dedicate her time to it, making her anxious to create these weapons more so now than ever.

Nighttime had fallen on the eve of the fourth month. The summer leaves had caught fire in blazing colors of yellow and gold, some even beginning to die and fall to the ground. The nights were still warm enough to leave a window or two open, especially on those like this when the sky was clear and every star in the sky could be seen.

Tala lay on her mat, holding her mother's pendant above her head. The pointed arches dimpled her fingers as she twirled it, the ruby center glistening, trying to think of yet another solution to her magic problem.

This was also the third week in a row that Tala had skipped out on supper. Her stomach groaned in protest, but Tala was too determined on finding a breakthrough to care. Tala's thoughts pounded against the sides of her head as they searched for the answer but it was nowhere, leaving her with nothing but a splitting headache to show for it. She whined, rubbing her temples and letting the pendant fall flat against her chest.

Tala sat up when she heard a knocking at the door. "Come in," she called, "It's unlocked."

Dashi stepped in, smiling. "Hey, I brought you some dinner," he said, "Hope you're hungry for rice and pork."

Tala rung one of her braids in her hands, her face instantly reddening at the sight of him. Alone. With her. Tala dropped her eyes to the floor, biting her lip to keep from grinning. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," said Dashi, folding his legs as he sat in front of her.

He placed two bowls before them, one for him and one for Tala. Dashi wasted no time and began to eat from his bowl. Between bites, he asked her, "So, how's everything coming along?"

Tala groaned loudly, leaning back to dramatically stare at the ceiling.

"That bad, huh?"

Tala groaned again.

"You should probably eat something," Dashi suggested, making the fact that he was trying not to laugh just a little too obvious, "You're starting to sound like a zombie."

Tala shrugged and sat upright, balefully staring at him. "I'm fine."

"You haven't been to supper in three weeks," said Dashi as Tala stood, "I'm wondering if you've even eaten at all. Look at you. You look haggard."

"Thanks," said Tala, too tired to argue.

"I'm actually surprised Chase hasn't come to check up on you," Dashi added, "Aren't the two of you… you know,"

Tala tried not to wince at the suggestion, especially from Dashi. It stung, coming from him.

"Chase and I haven't been been on speaking terms much, lately," said Tala, guilt hitting her for the first time in months.

Tala had been so concerned with the weapons that she had completely ignored Chase, even when he had tried to check up on her. It was wrong, especially since he was the only one to believe her about Grand Master Wei. "I haven't been a very good friend to him."

"Well," said Dashi, "It's not like you've tried to come to Guan or me, either."

Before Tala could register enough of what he said to get angry, Dashi added, "I mean, I get it. You've been trying to make these-" He picked up the sword beside him, half of the blade broken and swinging as it hung. He tossed it away. "...Yeah. Well, you've been busy."

Tala turned away, hugging herself. "I could stand to try to see you all more," she admitted, looking out the window, "I just need to find a way to get these all to work!"

"Look, Tala," said Dashi, "There's no use getting frustrated over it. The answer will come to you at the right time. When you need it the most."

"Gee, thank you, Master Young," she snapped, spinning around, "I so needed that sprout of wisdom!"

Dashi was holding the chopsticks from Tala's bowl up to her. The way his eyes were focused on Tala so steadily made her heart leap into her throat, heat crawling up her back in shivers.

"You know I'm right," he said. With a sigh, Dashi flipped the chopsticks over so that Tala could grab the handles. Offering up her bowl to Tala with his other hand, he said, "Please eat. We need you to take care of yourself. You might not be at training much anymore, but you're still a part of the team."

"Right," she said, taking them from him.

Before they left his fingers, the chopsticks glowed. Both Tala and Dashi yelped, dropping them. They stared at each other for half a second, Tala with horror and Dashi with a wide, open smile.

"_DID YOU SEE THAT_?!" Tala cried.

Dashi's smile couldn't have gotten any bigger, but somehow it did. "YEAH, I DID!"

Tala threw herself to the ground scrambling to find where the chopsticks had rolled off to. "_Ní mór dúinn a fháil orthu_," Tala chittered with excitement, "_sula caillfidh muid_\- Ow!"

Tala and Dashi's foreheads collided with a thud. She glared at him, rubbing the sore spot beginning to bruise.

Dashi shrugged sheepishly. "Whoops."

"Like I was saying before, we should probably try to find those chopsticks before we lose… whatever just happened," Tala suggested.

As she looked beneath the table, she spotted one. "There!"

Tala reached for it, but Dashi was quicker.

"Hey!"

Dashi's smile was mischievous with a hint of sweetness enough to make Tala's heart beat just a little bit faster. "Sorry," he said, "competitive streak."

Tala brushed him off and reached for the other one, slamming the back of her head against the table when she went to stand.

Dashi laughed at her, offering a hand to help Tala up. "Are you okay?"

It wasn't just embarrassment that slapped her cheeks red when Tala took his hand, avoiding Dashi's eyes. "Let's just see if this'll work again."

They both held the ends of the chopsticks. Tala and Dashi waited quite a while, but the glow did not come back.

Dashi cut through the silence, shuffling awkwardly on his toes. "So, what do we…?"

Tala threw the chopsticks to the ground. "We lost it!" she shouted, fed up, "All these months wasted! I've finally had some progress, and it's gone!"

Dashi bent down to pick them up again as Tala continued ranting, pacing around the room, "_Dúirt mé leis go raibh mé ar bhealach! RAIBH mé ar bhealach! Ach ba chóir a fhios aige nach féidir le cailleach a dhéanamh ar a chuid féin! Anois tá mé ag dul go bás toisc nach féidir liom a dhéanamh amach conas na craobhóga diabhal_-"

"Tala,"

"_Dúirt mé liom féin go raibh sé seo ró-chontúirteach, ach ní raibh mé ag éisteacht_?" Tala raved, pulling at her braids, "_AON._"

"Tala!"

"What!?"

Tala spun around, heart stopping at the sight of the chopsticks glowing in Dashi's hands. "_Mo réaltaí_… It's _you_."

Tala walked up to Dashi, who looked just about as surprised as she was. "How are you doing this?"

Dashi shook his head. "I really don't know."

"You have-" Tala blinked hard, wondering if this was all just some elaborate hallucination brought on by her lack of food, "No, that's impossible. You're human!"

"Tala," said Dashi, looking at the chopsticks in his hands with wide eyes, "I don't think it's me."

"But your hands!" cried Tala, "Look at them!"

Dashi looked up at her, pale and shaking. "I don't have magic," he insisted, "I'd have known by now. It's gotta be you. You've got to be doing something."

"I'm not." Tala's hands shook when she took his, fingertips fluttering against Dashi's skin. She was barely touching him, but her magic ignited, fire blazing and biting at her, painfully clawing to find a way out and into the chopsticks Dashi held.

"I think," said Tala, swallowing down the orange bubbling over the lining of her throat, "I think we should try now."

Dashi nodded. Looking up at her, he said, "I'm scared."

"Me too," she whispered back, "Close your eyes, okay?"

Dashi did as Tala instructed. Tala waited until he was perfectly still to close her eyes. This needed to be perfect. "Dashi," she said, "what do you see in your mind?"

He sounded worried. "I don't see anything. The chopsticks just started to glow when I touched them. Do I need to be?"

"Yes," said Tala, "You had to have been thinking of something when you touched them, else they wouldn't have responded."

"Were _you_ thinking of something?"

Tala blushed, igniting the magic. It pulsed and Dashi yelped when it burned him.

"Sorry!" Tala squeaked, ripping her hands away, "I told you I don't have the best handle on this yet!"

"No, no, it's fine!" assured Dashi, snapping his eyes open. He reached out and placed the chopsticks in her hand, covering it with both of his.

He smiled and asked, "What do we do next?"

"We… well, _you_, have to have in your mind's eye the new creation these chopsticks are going to become. My magic should do the rest."

"What kind of weapon can you make out of chopsticks?" asked Dashi.

"I don't know," said Tala, "I couldn't even think of how to put magic into a sword."

"This is weird," Dashi snorted.

"Yeah," Tala agreed, smiling.

They both began to laugh. As they did, the chopsticks' glow grew brighter and brighter, filling the room with light. Tala and Dashi stared in awe as the light swirled around them faster and faster until it took the form of a dragon.

The light dragon dove full-speed into their hands, piercing through skin and bone to reach the chopsticks. Dashi did not cry out in pain when the dragon went through his hand. Instead, his smile grew and slowly moved his hand away from Tala's, revealing their creation.

The chopsticks were no longer slender blocks of black wood, but something intricately carved and made fit to feed the mouths of kings. Elegant chopsticks of polished wood and ivory, adorned with a wooden bead on either stick, lightly glowed in Tala's palm.

"We did it," breathed Dashi, amazement widening his eyes and slacking his jaw.

"You did it," said Tala, her heart leaping. She closed her fingers around the chopsticks quickly and snatched them out of his reach, stammering, "I mean, we won't know for sure until we try to use them, but for the most part, everything seems to be in order."

"So," said Dashi, reaching for chopsticks despite Tala's best efforts to keep them away, "Let's test them."

He tapped her on the shoulder to get Tala to look away, and plucked the chopsticks from her hand. Tala folded her arms, but didn't protest.

"Sorry, kid," teased Dashi with a wink, "You'll have to do better than that to keep me from getting what I want."

"Get on with it, then," Tala snipped, unimpressed.

"Alright already," laughed Dashi, "Relax… Now, let's see here…"

Dashi held them in the air, pointing the chopsticks to the sky like a sword. "Do something magical!" he cried. Nothing.

Tala snickered a little.

"Hey," Dashi called over his shoulder, "Don't laugh at me. I'm working on it."

He inspected the chopsticks, holding his chin in thought. "Hmm," Dashi mused, "How do I.. No, that won't work…"

"Try using them to eat your rice," Tala sneered, "I bet that's all they're good for."

"Hah hah," Dashi drawled, "I was helping _you_, remember?"

Tala huffed. "Seriously, though, I'm sure these things won't work," she insisted.

'_And I'm sure it's my fault_,' Tala added silently, '_My imagination's never been very good anyway_.'

"Nonsense!" said Dashi, clicking the chopsticks together, "I'm sure these babies can do somethi-"

They began to glow, shrinking the table. Dashi's smile grew wide. "Told you they could do something!"

"Yeah, yeah." Tala looked away, leaning on the wall. With the grit of her jaw, Tala had to admit that she was a little jealous. She had spent months trying to perfect this technique, and here was Dashi, getting it completely right first try.

'_He really is perfect_,' she thought, watching as Dashi began to shrink and unshrink different things from all around the room. '_I'll never be good enough for him_.'

"Hey,"

Tala blanched when Dashi poked the tip of her nose with one of the chopsticks. "_What_?" she hissed, pressing her back against the wall.

"What should we call these things?" asked Dashi, hooking an arm around Tala's shoulder. "We should give them a name like the warriors of old did with their weapons."

Tala blushed when he yanked her close, waving his free arm in the air over an image Tala could not see. "Something like '_The Chopsticks of Mystery_,' or 'change,' or something. Shrinky Dinks! No, not Shrinky Dinks."

Tala rolled her eyes, leaning away. "Changing Chopsticks?" she muttered.

Dashi brightened. "Yeah! 'Changing Chopsticks.' I like that!"

Dashi was, or at least pretended to be, oblivious to Tala's snarl when she struggled to get out of under his hand as he ruffled her hair."Good going, kid!"

He finally let Tala go, excited to play with their new creation again. "Changing Chopsticks!" Dashi cried, shrinking and unshrinking the chests piled up in the corner.

Despite her wanting nothing more than to crawl into a dark corner, Tala couldn't help but smile at the warmth tingling in her chest. The sight of Dashi's happy smile as he played with the chopsticks reminded her of why she had fallen for him.

Yes, Dashi was perfect. But he was still her friend, too. He was a friend who was genuine enough to ask for nothing in return but a smile and a good laugh, and that was enough for her.

* * *

With the success in the creation of the Changing Chopsticks came Grand Master Wei's illustrious and gracious favor. Needless to say, he was much more than delighted by the promise of them, clapping his hands as Tala and Dashi demonstrated the chopsticks' shrinking power on the fountain in the main courtyard.

"Excellent, you two!" he praised as Tala and Dashi bowed before him, "Most excellent! Tell me, are there more?"

Master Young was beside him, a statue of elegance and sarcasm. "Oh yes, please tell us. Unless you only plan on shrinking the witch."

"Isn't that enough?" asked Dashi, "We only need to immobilize Wuya in order to capture her."

Master Young folded his hands behind his back, the grim lines of his mouth showing off his age. "Oh yes," he snapped, "Step on her like an ant, and we'll all be saved."

Tala smirked at their master's criticism. "We're making more," she explained.

Dashi double- took. "We _are_?"

Tala kept her eyes on Master Young, meeting his skepticism with feigned confidence riding between her teeth. "The plans for our next weapon are being drawn up as we speak."

Dashi's surprise went flat. "They are,"

Tala shrugged, side-eyeing him with a smile.

"Of course," Tala added, bowing to Grand Master Wei, "you'll be the one approving the final decisions, Grand Master."

Grand Master Wei stroked his beard, the beady black of his eyes entranced in thought. "You said that you can only make these weapons with another there to help you?"

Tala nodded. "Yes."

He looked at her, the folds of his beard twisting around the faintest of smiles. "Perhaps we _can_ bring the elements back into the Cycle without the enacting of your aunt's counter-curse. That is, if you are willing to try an experiment."

Tala swallowed, feeling her back stand a bit straighter. "Of course, sir. Anything for the Temple."

Grand Master Wei clasped his hands together, breaking out into a full grin of yellowed teeth. "Marvelous! We must get started right away, then."

"Grand Master," Master Young cut in, "this is most certainly a bad idea."

Grand Master Wei stopped Master Young's speech with the raise of his hand. Speaking to Tala, he said, "I want you to create weapons with the other boys as well. I expect you to them each for the other three Dragons. Match their elements, and give them power enough to defeat Wuya however possible."

"Grand Master!" cried Master Young.

Grand Master Wei continued, the jutting of his chin bobbing his flowing beard like a fishing rod. "I believe that the necessity for your magic to rely on others is no accident. Your element rejoined the Cycle at the right time, young monk."

He stood from his chair, smiling. "Indeed, we are coming into a new era. A future where both magic and the mundane become one."

He snapped his fingers and the eunuch beside him quickly snatched up the tea tray in order to follow him. Grand Master Wei looked back at her before departing. "And you, dear Tala," he said, "are the one who holds the key to that future. I look forward to seeing how this all pans out. Do not fail me."

As the Grand Master walked back toward the main building, eunuch in tow, Tala dared to look at Dashi. He was glaring at her, shaking his head. Her heart leapt, drop-kicking her stomach down to her ankles.

Before Tala could explain herself, Master Young placed a hand on her shoulder, looking more tired than angry for once.

"Trainee," he said, "You don't have to do this."

"But I do," she told him, both the lack of sleep and adrenaline finally catching up, "Didn't you hear? I can't fail."

'_We all know what will happen if I fail_,' she dared not say aloud.

There was recognition in Master Young's eyes, a much softer amber than the dark glass Tala was used to. "Tala," he said, "Grand Master Wei is-"

"I know what you're going to say, Master," Tala said, "and I know you'd only tell me because you don't want me using my magic on Chase."

Master Young seemed shocked, as still as he was, but the hardening in his eyes gave away that he was not at all surprised. Master Young let go of her, clasping his hands behind his back.

"If I may," said Tala, pushing past her master before he could say no.

Tala stormed back toward the main building, knowing that Dashi was close behind. She ignored the butterflies in her stomach telling her as much, insisting to herself on coming up with a new plan instead.

Tala was seething, trying her best not to let her magic take hold of anything. The pins and needles of it, dry heat of the summer's sun, raced up and down her arms, clawing against Tala's skin like a cat with its tail caught in a door.

"Tala,"

"Not now, Dashi," Tala ground, swallowing the orange now racing up the back of her throat.

Dashi caught her arm, yanking Tala back. "Tala, stop!"

Tala spun around, knocking his hand away.

Dashi's arm flung down uselessly at the expense of his shoulder. He met her with rage and surprise. "Ow! What is the matter with you?!"

Dashi shook the feeling back into his arm and gingerly popped his shoulder back into place, grumbling, "When did you get so strong?"

Tala covered up her reflex to wince with steel. "What do you want?"

"To know what just happened," snapped Dashi, "What was that stunt you pulled back there?! Why did you tell them we were making more?! We don't even know how we made the chopsticks!"

"I don't know, okay?" shouted Tala, "I panicked! I already told you he means to kill me if I don't produce the information he wants! I was stalling for time!"

Dashi folded his arms, and though he arched an eyebrow, he was far from amused. "Well, now you're stuck, aren't you?"

"Obviously!" Tala spat, pulling on her braids.

"Man, the guys are going to be thrilled about this," drawled Dashi.

"And Master Young hates me enough as it is," Tala grumbled.

Dashi threw his arms up into the air. "Guan hates magic!"

"Chase is obsessed with it," said Tala, "and will most likely do something stupid once he gets it."

"We don't function as a team very well," said Dashi.

"In which case," added Tala.

Together, they deadpanned, "We're doomed."

"Okay," said Dashi, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Let's come up with a plan. I should probably be the one to tell Guan."

Tala quirked an eyebrow and folded her arms. "Why?"

"You and Guan aren't exactly...close," said Dashi, "I just think it'd be a little easier on him if the news came from someone he trusts."

"Right."

Tala walked back toward the main building, ignoring Dashi when he called out, "You'll be telling Chase, right? We really need to clarify these things!"

* * *

"I can't believe you want a bag for a weapon," said Tala, shaking her head as Chase dug through his things.

"First of all," grunted Chase, falling onto his backside when his yanking pulled the bag loose from his closet, "It's a satchel."

He handed it up to Tala with a smile. "Second," he said as Tala inspected the bird symbol sewn into the leather, "It was my mother's. You can understand that, can't you?"

"You've never told me much about your mum," said Tala, running her thumb along the soft hide of the bird patch.

"Her name was Lin Yao," said Chase, "She had made that for me when I was little. She died before I could even learn how to walk."

"I'm sorry," said Tala, reaching down to offer him some help up.

"Don't be," said Chase, letting Tala pull him up, "I have no memories of her. There is no point in feeling sad over it. My father, though… I guess that's why he only ever talks to me while we're training."

"How did she die," asked Tala, "If- if you don't mind me asking?"

"Child birth," snipped Chase, dusting off his clothes, "She had a hard time throughout the pregnancy. My sister was a stillborn, too. They are both buried in the hills not too far from here."

He smiled at Tala genuinely. Chase did not know the pain of losing his mother, and somehow that made Tala feel all the more sorry for him, even a twinge of jealousy that she couldn't help but indulge in.

"It's in the past, though," said Chase, lifting his hand, "We should be looking to the future instead."

"I agree," said Tala, taking it, "Shall we begin, then?"

Chase's smile widened, and he squeezed her hand gently. "Gladly."

"Close your eyes," Tala instructed, "and concentrate. Think about how you want the weapon to be, then let it come into being."

Chase's smile was wide and bright. He squeezed her hand a bit tighter. "I can't believe I finally get to do this," Chase whispered, the bob of his adam's apple giving way to the hitch in his throat, "I finally get to experience this with you."

Tala squeezed his hand back, feeling everything around her slow down. "We're ready," she warned him, taking his hand and holding it over the satchel.

Tala covered his hand with hers, taking a deep breath. "Focus, Chase," she said, "Remember, concentrate on what you want."

The words were barely out of Tala's mouth when the satchel began to glow. Wind spiraled out into the space around them, engulfing them in a cocoon of twirling light.

Unlike with Dashi, the wind was strong, forceful. It felt like a living thing, poking and prodding at Tala, trying to throw her off of her feet. She looked at Chase, but he was standing still, eyes closed and calm.

The satchel itself felt like it was draining her magic from her hands, sucking up the heat of it out of Tala's fingers like a man dying of thirst. Tala's heart raced as she tried to pull her magic back, reign it in and away from the satchel, but the more she struggled the more her magic left her. She panicked, dropping the satchel to the ground with a cry.

Tala stared at it, white smokey light still curling off of the bird patch at its middle, now as bright and smooth as the day it was made. Tassels hung from the bottom, but aside from the renewal of the leather, Chase's satchel was no different than before.

"That was," said Chase, breathless as she was, "amazing!"

He bent down to pick up the satchel, shaking the dirt off of it. Chase looked rather pleased with himself, shooting Tala a lopsided, mischievous grin. "You're incredible, Tal."

Tala swallowed. "Don't get your hopes up," she said, "I'm not so sure it worked."

"I'm not so sure," said Chase, dangling the satchel again, "that you're right."

This time, Tala heard something clanking inside of it. Chase dug inside of the satchel, saying, "Don't be such a pessimist, Brave Girl. Not everything is grey skies and bad weather."

He pulled out something small, concealing with his fist. "Watch."

With a cocky grin, Chase tossed what he was holding into the air. "Arrow Sparrow!" he shouted.

Golden birds flew around the room, combusting into a blaze. They circled twice before diving into the closet, exploding upon impact with the back of the wall.

"Argh, no!" Chase cried, rushing over to put out the smoke and small flames beginning to grow.

"_Flaithis thuas_," muttered Tala, suppressing a grin before rushing over to help him.

Chase tried to stomp out the flames, only to sear his pant leg in the process. Tala summoned one of the sheets from Chase's sleeping mat, and tossed it over the flames, stomping them out with Chase together.

After the initial danger had passed, Tala looked at Chase with a grin.

"What?" scoffed Chase, his eyes darting away for a second.

"Arrow _Sparrow_?" asked Tala, raising an eyebrow.

Chase shrugged, red beginning to crawl up his neck. "Yeah, well,"

"Your mom must have really liked birds," said Tala, looking away to hide her growing smile and trying desperately not to laugh.

"It's not that," Chase said quickly, "I just wanted to pay homage to my chickadee."

"Your what?"

A dimple pulled Chase's smirk into a smile. "Nothing."

* * *

**AN: Yes, yes, I pulled some elements from that dreadful spin-off (Xiaolin Chronicles *gag*), where the Dragons created their own wu, into this. I extend it only to the Wudai Weapons, though, to explain why they were for certain elements only. This is as far as I'm willing to go as far as connecting to Xiaolin Chronicles. EVER.**

**Additional Disclaimer\- Some of the Irish translations are slightly paraphrased because I'm still learning, and translating online to perfect Irish is always a hassle. Sometimes I'm not even sure if I'm wrong or the internet translators are, especially with sentence structure and tenses. (Thank God for language-speaking forums). If anyone catches anything off, please let me know. **

**Irish translation:**

"_Ní mór dúinn a fháil orthu sula caillfidh muid' _\- We must find them before we lose…

"_Dúirt mé leis go raibh mé ar bhealach! RAIBH mé ar bhealach! Ach ba chóir a fhios aige nach féidir le cailleach a dhéanamh ar a chuid féin! Anois tá mé ag dul go bás toisc nach féidir liom a dhéanamh amach conas na craobhóga diabhal_"- I told him that I had a way! I HAD a way! But he should know a witch can not do it on her own! Now I'm going to die because I cannot figure out how these damn twigs-

"_Dúirt mé liom féin go raibh sé seo ró-chontúirteach, ach ní raibh mé ag éisteacht? AON_."- I told myself that this was too dangerous, but did I listen? NO.

"_Mo réaltaí_…"- My stars…

"_flaithis thuas_"- heavens above


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

_Twenty Two__ Fool's Gold

It was the evening of Chase's seventeenth birthday, but he was far from happy. Though the festivities thrown by his friends had been nice enough, he could not shake the feeling that something was off.

Tala hadn't done much to help this feeling, either. Ever since creating the Arrow Sparrow with him, the majority of her time had been spent with Dashi, burning the midnight oil night after night to make over a hundred more of what Dashi liked to call "Shen Gong Wu."

Even though they had hardly seen each other, Tala's attentions tonight were more focused on her bald-headed partner in crime, asking him questions and saying no to nearly every other Wu plan Dashi came to her with.

Chase watched them, leaning against the wisteria tree, sipping from a cup with a glower aimed right at Tala as she obliviously chattered on. She was giving Dashi quite the scolding on something he called "Ants-In-the-Pants." Even with the comical way she was berating baldy, Chase was too focused on the snub to laugh at the expense of his lifelong rival.

"They make quite the pair," said Guan beside him, "Grand Master Wei has been rather pleased with their work."

"It's been two years," grumbled Chase, "You think the old man would have had his fill of those things already. That crap is scattered everywhere! There's nowhere to put any more Shen Gong Wu."

To prove his point, Chase kicked aside an intricate helmet at his feet that he hadn't bothered to learn the name of.

Guan picked up the helmet and brushed it off. "You're being dramatic," he said, "The Shen Gong Wu are not just left to lay about everywhere. Though I regrettably admit that I've accidentally left them out once or twice."

"I just don't get why the Grand Master insisted on her making these weapons with _him_."

"Dashi is the best candidate," Guan pointed out, "I tend to avoid the Wu when I can and you, well, your talents are needed elsewhere."

It was true. Being the highest ranking of the Xiaolin Apprentices, Chase had been asked to oversee the training of the lesser warriors in the temple, mainly the child-monks pouring in from the countryside seeking refuge from Wuya's rampage. Rewarding though his responsibility was, not even seeing so much as a glance of Tala outside of training had made him restless.

"I just really want my friend back," Chase admitted.

"Are you and I not friends?"

"The best!" Chase told him, embarrassment crawling up his spine, "It's just that I feel a bit like Tala's leaving me behind."

"She's still your friend as much as you are hers," Guan assured him with a smile, "You have both been given responsibilities that have taken up all of your time, but that does not mean Tala's forgotten about you."

Chase looked at Tala again. She noticed him his time and smiled wide. Chase's pulse ran through his entire body, rattling against him like a prisoner shaking the bars of his cage.

Tala grabbed Dashi's arm and whispered something into his ear. Dashi smiled and nodded, leaving her to walk over unaccompanied.

"See?" asked Guan, smiling before leaving Chase alone himself.

Tala was like sunshine, her yellow robes popping against her brown skin under the lamp glow. Her teeth were white and charming, only rivaled by the brightness of her silver eyes. They held a slyness in them, fogged by the giddiness of the night's laughter. "Happy birthday!" she greeted him, jumping on her toes.

"Happy birthday to you, too," he said, "Sorry I missed it."

"I had more important things," Tala said, shrugging, "The only person to really notice was Dashi, but that's only because we were working together that day."

Chase smiled, ignoring the jealousy that crept up the back of his neck. "I don't plan on missing any more," he said, "Don't worry."

Tala had graduated from her pigtails to a thick single braid, and showed it off by flicking it over her shoulder. The smell of her soap hit him, and Chase shuffled awkwardly. He rubbed the back of his neck. "You look… good," he said, cursing himself for blushing.

"Oh!" cried Tala quickly, "I have something for you!"

"Tala, no," said Chase as she rifled through her pocket, "You really don't have to-"

Tala proudly presented something small enough to hide in her hand. "Here!"

"Tal,"

"Hand," Tala demanded.

Chase rolled his eyes and held out a flat palm, sighing.

A patch lay there- a tiny, blue dragon that looked much more like a snake with legs rather than one of the legendary beasts of old. It was a little lumpy, too. Chase smiled, tracing the shoddy handiwork. Still the same old Brave Girl. Terrible at sewing.

"Thanks," he said, choking up a little.

"You're welcome!" beamed Tala, "So, how are things? How are the young recruits?"

"It's been," Chase mumbled, trying to find the best words to say. Instead of finding them, he gave up and decided to be blunt. "It's been terrible. They're just a bunch of farm kids and sheep herders. Some can fight pretty okay with a staff, since tigers and wolves tend to stalk their sheep, but these _kids_ aren't warriors. We only really took them in to keep them all safe from that homicidal nutcase wi-"

Chase cut himself off with a hiss, realizing what he was saying.

"What?" asked Tala, folding her arms.

"Sorry," said Chase, "I didn't mean to- I mean, Wuya's your-"

"It's _fine_, Chase," Tala snapped, looking far from it.

Chase cleared his throat. "What about you?" he asked, "What have you and,"

Chase pointed to Dashi with an open hand, too flustered to come up with his name quickly enough. Exasperated, Chase sighed and tried again: "What have you guys been up to?"

Tala raised an eyebrow and leaned to the side slightly, probably trying to get a better look at Chase's eyes, which had been averted from her since his comment about her aunt.

"Are you feeling alright?" she asked.

Chase jumped. "I'm fine!" he insisted, "Just tell me what you've been doing. Please."

Tala scoffed with a wily grin, and Chase's heart melted into a puddle at his feet.

"Dashi's been going crazy," she said, "He comes to me all hours of the day with all these plans and ideas! 'Moby Morpher,' 'Gills of Hamachi,' '_Tongue of Saiping_?!' Always wakes me up in the middle of the night, banging on my door, telling me he's come up with yet another impossible idea for a Shen Gong Wu. I'm always telling him, 'No, Dashi, we can't do that,' or 'No, Dashi, that's too ridiculous,' and he still surprises me with even more insane ideas! _Where_ does he _come up_ with this stuff? Honestly, does he ever sleep?"

Tala's demeanor and slurry accent contradicted her words. She looked more amused than annoyed, laughing and grinning into her hand as if she were recounting a fond memory instead of her many restless nights creating weapons for the Grand Master.

"Too much rice wine?" Chase suggested, finding her smile infectious.

Tala dropped her smile, eyes wide and serious. "What?"

"You're giggling like crazy, you chattering monkey," he joked, "I can hardly understand what you're saying."

Tala was stunned to silence, shutting herself away behind her eyes.

'_Oops, wrong move,_' he thought, '_Smooth, hero. You finally talk to Tala in months and remind her why you guys took such a long time in becoming friends to begin with_.'

Chase sucked air through his teeth, looking away again. He ran his fingers through his hair, blowing out the air from his hollowed cheeks.

"It's been good talking to you again," said Tala abruptly, flopping her arms at her sides.

"Yeah," Chase agreed, "I've really missed you."

"Me too," Tala said, smiling thinly. She looked a bit dimmer, the heart-fire that had brightened her when she had walked up to him dying to glowing embers as she began to walk backward with sad eyes still on him. "Catch you around?"

Chase smiled, doing his best not to wince at how forced it felt. He raised a hand in goodbye. "See ya, Tal."

* * *

The evening was long and most all of the party-goers had wandered off back to their sleeping quarters for a much needed night's rest. Chase was alone among the burnt out paper lanterns and other favors left scattered around the courtyard.

The only thing was, he wasn't alone. Chase leaned against the Wisteria tree. He twirled the empty cup in his hand while waiting for Hannibal Bean to give up its hiding place and speak, not bothering to tell the strange creature that he knew it was there. Without fail, Chase heard the bean's sinister chuckle from the branches above not much long after sensing its presence.

"That was quite the party," said Hannibal, its uncanny drawl making the air above Chase's head feel a bit heavier.

Chase grunted in response.

"Let me guess," said the bean as it hopped down onto the rim of Chase's cup, "It's your birthday, and you'll cry if you want to."

Hannibal folded its tentacles and raised an eyebrow, mocking Tala's concern hours earlier. "Feeling alright, son?"

"It's complicated," Chase sighed, bringing up a knee to rest his chin on his free palm.

"I'm all ears," it offered, "Well, metaphorically speaking."

"I'm fine, Hannibal," Chase grumbled.

"I don't buy that for a minute, Chase," snapped Hannibal, "Besides, friends don't leave friends alone to mope on their birthday. Unlike _some_ people."

"_Are_ we friends?" grumbled Chase.

"I'd like to think so," said Hannibal, "More so than you and Tala, anyway."

"Say that again, and I'll flick you right over the Three Hills," Chase growled, anger giving him enough energy to make good on the threat.

"Hey," said the bean, shrugging, "I'm just calling it as I see it. If Tala really _were_ your friend, she wouldn't have run away like that."

Chase scoffed. "Tala didn't run away," snapped Chase, "She was just…"

Hannibal rolled its eyes. "Mmmmnhmmmn."

"She was busy!" Chase insisted, "We've all been busy!"

"But at your birthday party?" asked Hannibal, "I don't think so."

"You know how Tala is," said Chase, "She's the kind of person that actually _likes_ to work. Besides, Dashi was bugging her all night about some stupid Wu he wanted to make."

"And you know how she is, too," said Hannibal, "A liar that says what she wants to get what she wants. Remember that whole bit with Wuya those few years ago? Your supposed friend went behind everyone's backs to learn magic from that old hag, and didn't even show you one inch of it until she got caught. Tala played you like a fool, used you, double-crossed you, and yet you _still_ believe that you're friends?"

"She had her reasons," Chase snapped, "Grand Master Wei is a nutcase! He would have killed her!"

"And yet she's still alive," said Hannibal, "I wonder just how your little chickadee convinced the Grand Master of the Xiaolin Temple, the man who's killed over a thousand witches, to keep from burning at her at the stake after such an apparent display of disloyalty."

"We need her for the Cycle," Chase dismissed, "Tala's a future Xiaolin Dragon like I am. Besides, she only used Wuya to teach her how to keep her magic under control."

"Is that what she told you?"

Chase tossed the cup, the bean falling inside of it. "She's on our side."

"She's a con-artist, Chase," said Hannibal, crawling out of the discarded cup and rubbing its head, "Face it, Tala Bao only cares about herself."

Chase glared back at Hannibal. "It doesn't matter," he said, "Once she realizes that we're the Crown and Pearl, the both of us can do whatever we want. Together. Nobody will be able to hurt either of us again. We can be selfish all we like. Nothing we do right now matters."

"Oh really?"

"_Yes_ really," ground Chase through his teeth.

"Hmph. Fine then, Your Highness. Don't forget that favor you owe me," said Hannibal, shooting him a sly smile, "After all, I'm the one who showed you what the two of you really are."

Chase walked away, grumbling. He stopped short when someone up ahead caught his eye, pulse turning to ice in his veins.

Jia's eyes were wide, and in her arms she carried some of the things discarded from the party. Her surprise became a glare. "Forgive me, Honored Apprentice," she said, "I was only cleaning up."

Chase grabbed her wrist, forcing Jia to drop what she had gathered. "What did you see?" he hissed.

"Let me go!"

Chase yanked her closer. "What. Did. You. See?"

Jia, for the first time since Chase met this nosey maid, looked terrified as she cowered beneath his grip. "Please, Honored Apprentice! I didn't! I swear!"

Chase let her go, tossing Jia away like the filthy trash she was. "Get out of my sight!"

Jia held her arm tenderly, glaring at him. "You're a monster," she seethed, "Does Tala know you talk to yourself like a lunatic at night when no one's looking?"

"I said get out of here," Chase growled, "I'm not in the mood for punishing servants. I'll let the Masters deal with your insubordination."

"I heard you!" she hissed, "You're planning something! I don't know exactly who you thought you were talking to, but Tala deserves to know that you've been scheming about her!"

"You lying little-"

"I'll tell!" Jia warned, stepping back when he approached with his fist raised.

"No one will believe you."

"Tala will!"

Chase growled and lowered his fist, backing off. "Get out of here," he repeated hollowly.

Jia scurried off in a flurry of skirts. Chase watched her go, rage boiling in his chest and about ready to bubble over into a scream. He didn't, instead swallowing it down in favor of an even better idea. Smiling, Chase thought to himself that it would be a pretty good idea to get rid of that silly maid for good.

After all, what good is being the Crown if you can't indulge in a little bad once in awhile?

* * *

"I'm telling you," said Dashi, "Ants-In-the-Pants will work!"

"No," said Tala, tossing the scroll he shoved into her face away.

"Come on," he said "Imagine: We use it on her, she gets all itchy and distracted, and BAM! We got her! No need to hurt anybody!"

"You said that about the Sphere of Yun," Tala pointed out, "I think we can do just as well without the… ants."

"Where's your sense of humor?" asked Dashi, waving the scroll in front of Tala's face again, "Huh? Come on~"

Tala pushed his hand away. "I don't do humor."

"Sure you don't," he said, "What about the Manchurian Musca?"

"The Manchurian Musca is actually useful," said Tala, unrolling a scroll belonging to another of his ridiculous ideas, "Besides, that was still you. They're all you. I just provide the magic for them."

"You approved," he said, "Therefore, I know without a shadow of a doubt that you definitely have a sense of humor."

Tala leaned over the open scroll, the sketch of what Dashi liked to call "the Woozy Shooter" scrawled across the parchment in messy charcoal.

"Let me guess," said Dashi, reading it over her shoulder. His arms were on either side of her, leaning on the desk. "No?"

Tala shivered at him being so close. Mouth running dry, she shook her head. "I actually like this design," she muttered.

"Speaking of designs," said Dashi, walking away. Tala released the breath she was holding and looked over in his direction. He picked up the Wushu helmet and balanced it on his pointer finger. "Grand Master Wei asked me to start making some for the Wudai Amplifiers."

"Wudai Amplifiers," Tala spat mockingly, "The personal weapons are powerful enough as it is."

Dashi pulled out his Shimo Staff from his pocket, transforming it into a pointed spear at her mention of the Wudai Weapons.

"Terrible name," she added, "None of us are Wudai rank yet, anyway."

Dashi twirled the Shimo Staff, dodging and blocking an invisible opponent. "Wudai just has a nice ring to it," he said, "Sounds mystical and mysterious. Didn't you know half of the point to naming a warrior's weapon is to make it sound cool and appealing while striking fear into the hearts of men?"

He accidentally hit himself in the forehead with the Shimo Staff, shrinking it back to its pocket size when it dropped with a soft '_tink_!'

"Oh yes," Tala teased, "I'm quivering with fear at the sight of your terribly tiny icicle, O' mighty Xiaolin Apprentice. Haven't I told you not to play with that in my room?"

Dashi rubbed his head. "Five times."

"Six," Tala corrected.

"Where's Dojo?" sighed Dashi, bending down to pick up the Shimo Staff and shove it back into his pocket, "He was supposed to bring us supper ten minutes ago."

"Sleeping off the party, probably," said Tala, rolling up the Woozy Shooter scroll.

"We might as well start on those amplifiers while we're waiting," Dashi suggested.

"Alright," said Tala, standing, "What first, then?"

Dashi grinned. "I was hoping you'd ask me that," he said.

Dashi dug through the pile of tarnished weapons that they had been using as base items for the Shen Gong Wu and pulled out what looked to be an old shoulder plate. "I've been thinking about this one for a while," he said, "but I haven't drawn out the design yet."

"What is it going to be?" Tala asked reaching out to touch it.

"It's a surprise," said Dashi, holding it high out of Tala's reach.

"Fine, fine," said Tala, offering an open palm, "Let's get it over with, then. There is no use waiting."

When they both touched the shoulder plate together, the room filled with light, swirling around them in the form of a dragon, just like all of the Wu they had made before. It lazily circled three times before diving into the shoulder plate, blinding the two with its transforming radiance.

When the light dimmed back to normal candlelight, the shoulder plate had turned a brilliant blue, welded into the form of a bird's head. Half of its sharp beak was left silver, matching the razor running along the length of the faceless head.

"I call it '_Crest of the Condor_!'" cried Dashi, "And it's for you."

Tala looked from the Crest to Dashi, warmth overcoming her. It was enough for Tala to grab her chest, keeping herself grounded enough not to start crying. "It's beautiful," she whispered, eyes misting over.

"It's your amplifier," said Dashi, grinning proudly.

"I love it, but," Tala's eyes were shifty as she lowered her voice, "The Grand Master does not want me to have so much power. He was already furious when you designed the Blade of the Nebula."

"Tala, it's your own magic," scoffed Dashi, "It's still your power, just divided."

"I _know_, but," said Tala, bordering a whine.

"It'll be fine, Tala," Dashi insisted, "Besides, it's like I told the Masters: you're a part of this team. If the other elements get their own Wu, so does yours. No ifs, ands, or buts about it."

Tala played with her braid, looking away from him.

"Aside from that," said Dashi, patting her head, "It's your magic that powers the Wu. Without you, there wouldn't be any. They should be grateful."

Tala dodged out from under his hand. "Don't say such a thing!" she cried, "You are the reason we have them! Without you, I would have given up ages ago! I may be what gives them the magic they need, but you,"

She blushed, looking down at the Crest of the Condor in her hand. "You give them a soul."

"No," said Dashi, taking the Crest from her hands. He put it down and Took Tala's hands. "_We_ give them a soul. Don't sell yourself so short, kid."

Everything became a haze to Tala as he smiled at her. She nodded silently.

"You know, Tala," he said, "I've really enjoyed making these Shen Gong Wu with you. It's fun."

Tala yanked her hands away, stuttering, "Me to! I mean, of course me too! Of course I like to hang out with you! Oh, _Tá mé ag a bheith ar leathcheann. Níl a fhios agam fiú an méid mé ag rá, mé_-"

"Tala, Tala, calm down, kid!" Dashi laughed, "I can't understand you! What's gotten into you, tonight?"

"Sorry!" yelped Tala, jittery, "Sorry, you know me. Crazy Tala. Can't understand a word I say, and when you do it's a wonder anyone can tell what I'm saying at all. I'll shut up now, I promise."

Tala tucked a loose bang behind her ear. "Chase always used to make fun of me for it," she explained, growing redder and redder with each word, "Wuya, too. I get nervous or excited and _poof_\- instant rice mouth. I'm sorry. I know it's weird. Frustrating, really."

"I don't think it's weird," said Dashi, "I actually think it's cute."

His words caught Tala off guard. She looked at Dashi, wondering about his sanity. His Ants-In-the-Pants idea was starting to make so much more sense, now.

Dashi burst out laughing.

"What?!"

"Your face!" cackled Dashi, "You should see your face!"

Tala huffed and wandered back over to her desk. She began to rifle through the sketch scrolls, heat slapping her cheeks. Should have known he was joking. It still stung, though.

"I mean it, though," said Dashi, calming down, "I don't think your accent is weird. I think it's fascinating. Besides, no matter what Chase says, you're not _that_ hard to understand. At least not when you try."

"Thanks," Tala snapped, mad at herself for feeling that twinge of happiness his confession brought.

"Are you mad at me for laughing?" asked Dashi.

"No!" She could feel him standing behind her, making the blushing worse.

"Yes you are," accused Dashi, "Look, I'm sorry. I couldn't help myself."

"No, it's fine!" insisted Tala, just wanting him to get away from her, "I'm fine!"

"If you're fine," said Dashi, "why is your nose buried in all of those scrolls?"

"I'm okay, really!" said Tala, "I forgive you!"

"Look me in the eye and tell me, then," said Dashi.

Tala spun around, nearly melting when she saw how sincere his eyes were.

"I'm sorry," Dashi repeated.

Tala swallowed. "I forgive you."

Dashi smirked a little, chucking.

"What?"

"You're just so funny," he said, "I really like you."

Tala began to play with the end of her braid again, twirling the tail around her finger. "I really like you too."

* * *

"Ants-In-the-Pants, huh?" snorted Chase, lobbing another rock at the wall.

"Yeah," sighed Tala, "He won't shut up about it."

Tala readied hers for the throw, shaking it out into her fingers from the rest in her hand. She threw it at the center crack, knocking down some of the loose brick.

"Impressive," said Chase, "Five points."

"Ten points," said Tala, "You got ten for the same hit."

"I threw mine harder," Chase explained.

"Cheat," Tala snorted as he threw his next one.

"Hey," said Chase as his rock flew clean through the wall crack, "Throw harder, knock down more brick, get more points. Twenty."

"Twenty!" Tala gasped, "Since when is clearing the wall crack twenty?!"

"Since now," said Chase, smirking smugly.

"I only got fifteen last time," Tala grumbled, throwing hers fast and true. It shot through the crack like an arrow, faster than Chase's eyes could register. She smiled at him. "I deserve twenty-five for that one."

Chase's smile dropped. "Fine," he grumbled, unable to hold his serious face for very long.

Chase had to admit it was a surprise when Tala offered to hang out with him on the off- chance that she and Dashi were able to take a break for the morning. He didn't have any classes to teach either, and happily snagged the opportunity to talk. He had been smiling the whole morning.

"So, you guys are good friends, now," he said, tossing another rock.

"Yes," said Tala, tossing hers, "I honestly like him. There's just something about him that's… sweet."

Chase choked on his throw, his rock flying over the wall.

"Five points," called Tala, matching his throw.

"Do you like Dashi more than me?" asked Chase.

Tala side-eyed him before tossing another rock. "In a way," she said with a shrug, "Just like how I like you more than him in some others, and how I like Guan more than the both of you in certain ways. It's all relative."

Chase sighed with relief, lobbing his next rock. It broke off more brick than he intended, widening the top of the crack a bit. "Oops."

They were silent on the subject for a while, tossing rocks and sometimes shouting out the points they made. The sun drifted higher into the sky, the summer heat making the breeze warm and dry on their cheeks.

"So, how are your students?" Tala asked, finally breaking their silence.

"It's like I told you last night," said Chase, "They don't have much going for them. But our biggest concern is just keeping them away from Wuya, anyway."

"She's still out there terrorizing villages," said Tala, "and we're just waiting here, gathering up magical items that probably won't help much anyway."

She threw her rock hard. It cut clear through the brick, making a perfect hole beside the crack. The sunlight poked through it. "I'm sick of waiting," she growled.

Tala was hilarious when she was angry enough to yell, but this new side of her, this coldness, made Chase's heart beat a little faster. He smiled. "I'm kind of starting to like this emotionless side of you. Very mature."

"Who said anything about emotionless?" asked Tala flatly, making another clean hole with a smaller rock just below the first. She ran out of rocks after that, and clapped her hands together to get rid of the dust they left on her palms.

"Nobody," said Chase, dropping the rest of his, "It's just that you don't yell as much as you used to. Kinda nice."

"Dealing with Dashi's antics has grown me up a bit," she said, as the two began to walk toward the courtyard's gate.

Chase placed his hand over her head. "Hmm," he said, checking her height, only just below his neck, "Not quite."

"You brat!" Tala shoved him, laughing.

Chase laughed too as Tala jogged a little ahead of him. "Well, since I'm not all that grown up," she teased, "how about a race to the kitchens for lunch?"

She began to run before he could say yes, shrieking with laughter.

"I love you," he said, jogging after her.

Tala wasn't as much out of earshot as he had thought, calling "What?" breathlessly over her shoulder.

"You're going down!" he called back, laughing as Tala ran just a little bit faster.

* * *

**Irish Translation:**

"_Tá mé ag a bheith ar leathcheann. Níl a fhios agam fiú an méid mé ag rá, mé_"- I'm being an idiot. I do not even know what I'm saying, I


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

_Twenty Three__ Grey Areas

Wuya smiled to herself as she watched Tala blow out her candle, trying not to laugh at how stupid the girl was for keeping her window open like that. Honestly! Just because she hadn't contacted Tala in two years, that idiotic half-breed thought she was somehow safe?!

Wuya jumped down from the tree to the grass silently, nimble as any jungle cat stalking its prey. Beneath the window, she could hear Tala's light breathing. She had to be cautious. Tala was an easy sleeper, but she was also a light sleeper. Any sound could startle her and raise an alarm to the rest of the Temple.

Wuya peeked over the cill, her fingers lightly drumming on the wood as she watched Tala's chest rise and fall. Tala rolled over, cocooning herself in her sheet. Yep, definitely asleep. She smiled wolfishly, knowing the little brat wouldn't be for very long.

Wuya landed on the wood floor, the pads of her feet meeting it with a soft clap. Tala snorted and went still again as Wuya tip-toed over to her.

Such a sweet picture Tala was, sleeping like a child with her fingers curled tightly around her mother's pendant. The ruby was face up, reflecting the moon with its red sheen. Tala sighed contently like a child, a tiny smile winding up the corners of her mouth ever so slightly.

It was a good thing Wuya wasn't the sentimental type. She had no problem ruining the peaceful scene, pouncing on top of Tala, one hand grabbing her wrist and the other digging nails into her niece's throat.

Tala instantly reacted, thrashing and kicking until Wuya forced her to shake the pendant loose and snake Tala's arm above her head. Wuya had pinned down Tala's other arm with her knee, leaning all of her weight on Tala's chest. "I'll crush your lungs if you even try to scream, you little cheat," she warned, "Don't try kicking me, either. I'm letting go of your throat now so you can breathe."

Tala's glaring eyes were the double image of the moon reflecting water, glassing with hatred and misting from the lack of air. Wuya clicked her tongue. "Don't give me that look," she said, "I'm the one who should be angry after you betrayed me to your little boyfriend."

Tala spat at her, a good-sized wad of goo hitting Wuya's cheek. "I should have killed you," hissed Tala, all rice mouth and full-body shivers, "What in Heaven's name are you doing here?"

Wuya rubbed the spit away with her shoulder, leaning her weight in just a little bit more. Tala choked as Wuya growled, "To offer you one last chance, you ungrateful mutt."

"There are no last chances," said Tala, twisting her wrist under Wuya's palm. The pendant obediently apparated into Tala's hand in a whisp of white smoke. "I made my choice. Eye of Dashi!"

Wuya would have said "Eye of What-" but she was too preoccupied with dodging the bolt of lightning that shot at her to say anything but a yelp of surprise. She jump-rolled to the side and Tala hopped to her feet, holding the pendant out in front of her. The ruby middle was still sparking from the attack.

Tala was smiling wickedly, catching her breath. Her dull fangs glinted eerily against the moonlight, their animalistic curve bringing back memories that Wuya had long ago tossed to the side. They pulled Wuya into her own wild grin.

"Have to say I'm a little impressed, kid," she said, "Made a weapon on your own, did you? And with your mom's pendant, too. Ruthless of you to use it on me, don't you think?"

"Oh no," snarled Tala, "This is just one of the hundreds of weapons we've made."

"We?" snapped Wuya, "You and who else?!"

Tala's eyes narrowed, her smirk widening. "Who do you think?"

Wuya lunged. "How dare you let those mongrels touch your magic!" she screeched, clawing at Tala with green fire, "How _dare_ you help them! HOW DARE YOU!"

Tala dodged every attempt of Wuya's to burn her eyes out. It was surprising how much faster Tala had become since their last fight.

"I taught you how to control yourself! I taught you things you had never dared dream of!" Wuya screamed, "And this is how you repay me?! By handing it all over to them?! They kill our people, Tala!"

Tala ducked low, jabbing Wuya in the gut. Wuya stumbled, huffing. She and Tala stared each other down. Tala crouched into a stance as Wuya hummed with rage.

"You're just like your mother, you know that?" she seethed, "She never thanked me, not once. Not when I helped her take the Xiaolin Dragons' magic, and not when I warned her about shacking up with your father. You're both ungrateful, and you're both cheap. Willing to sell yourselves out to the first pretty face that asks you for a favor!"

Tala was silent, standing completely still.

"Well?!" demand Wuya, "Aren't you going to say anything?!"

Tala didn't move, glaring Wuya down. There was a sharpness in Tala's eyes, bringing out that animalistic flare again that reminded Wuya so much of her sister. It was like sparring with Shi-Ahn back from the dead, only Shi-Ahn was taller and had much nicer hair.

Wuya came at Tala again, throwing a fiery punch aimed square for Tala's nose. Tala caught her fist, gripping it with super strength enough to bend her knuckles back. Wuya's face contorted, more with rage than with pain, and she dropped Tala's leg out from under her, toppling Tala with a swift ram to the back of her knee.

Tala gripped Wuya and rolled, keeping the advantage and landing on top of her. Tala held Wuya by the throat, and Wuya had Tala by hers. There was only one problem. In her other hand Tala held the pendant, what she had apparently called "The Eye of Dashi," above Wuya's face. The witch eyed it, sweat trickling down her neck and a shiver meeting up with it in a collision of gooseflesh halfway between her shoulder blades.

"One word, and your face is charcoal," hissed Tala. She smiled a little, the tips of her fangs showing. "It could be that easy. You'd die, and I could be rid of your shadow constantly hanging over my head once and for all. I could finally be accepted, become a hero, advance in rank-"

"You don't look very heroic from where I'm standing," said Wuya.

"You're not standing at all," Tala sang. For once, her accent sounded less annoying to Wuya and just a tad scary.

"You're right, I'm not," growled Wuya, "which is why you shouldn't kill me. Prove those idiots wrong about you. You're not a cold-blooded witch, you're an honorable warrior. Act like one."

Tala rolled her eyes, causing a spark to jump around the Eye of Dashi's ruby center. "Oh, so I'm a warrior now. Funny how you say that when it's convenient for you."

"Damn it, kid, I'm trying to help you out!" snapped Wuya, turning her head to get as far away from that thing as much as possible. "I know for a fact you don't want what they say about you to be true! Kill me now, and all the trust-building you've worked for will die with me!"

Wuya flinched when the Eye of Dashi sparked again. Squeezing her eyes shut, she insisted, "You also don't want my death on your conscience, no matter what you've convinced yourself to believe about me. You're a good kid! That's why you're the Pearl! Even if I _am_ the ultimate evil you and your friends are gonna face, killing me while I'm defenseless will eat away at you for the rest of your life! You don't want that kind of blood hanging over you, Tala, trust me!"

Wuya opened an eye to watch Tala put her hand down, looking at Wuya with a blank expression. "When we first met," she said hollowly, cocking her head to the side, "You said that you watched my mother die through a vision. That she asked you to avenge her by finding and training me. How did you know when she was going to die?"

Wuya shoved Tala off of her and launched herself at the window, cackling. "It's a good thing you made so many of those weapons, kid!" she called over her shoulder as she dodged a blue fireball and ran into the night, "When I come back, I'll make sure you'll be needing every last one! First rule to the dark side, Tala: Nobody makes a fool out of me and lives!"

Tala didn't follow her, but Wuya ran until dawn, stopping herself by grabbing hold of a tree deep in the forest. She heaved between breaths, laughing. She cried just a little bit, sinking to her knees in a fit of giggles and exhausted sighs.

"Tala," she chuckled, hiccuping down a few tears, "Oh, you should never have betrayed me. Now? Now, I'm going to have to kill you and all of your little friends."

Wuya looked up at the green canopy, shining with the rising sun. The harsh light stung her eyes, drying whatever pinpricks of salt that had decided to settle at the corners of her eyes and blur her vision. "You really are just like your mother," she whispered, proud and just a tiny bit sad too.

Her smile was sinister, made manic by fresh tears. "You should never have asked me for that favor, sis," she chuckled into the summer wind, "Should have known you couldn't trust me to keep that kid alive. Better a clean death by my hands than a fiery one by theirs, anyway, right?"

The wind died down, leaving Wuya feeling empty, filling up the yawning holes with heavy loneliness. Her murmur was a hiss, "That's what you would have wanted, isn't it?"

* * *

There was much yelling in the courtyard that morning. Tala was at the brunt of all of it, absorbing hit after verbal hit from Master Young as the Grand Master watched silently, stroking his beard until Tala's master had finished chewing her out.

Tala was kneeling before the both of them, keeping her eyes closed and forcing herself to breathe evenly in order to stay calm. Her magic was still on its rampage from last night, stinging just beneath the surface of her palms as if she had rubbed them raw. The orange in her mouth was sour and sweet mingled together, forcing Tala to swallow down the sickening flood of it more than once.

Tala took a deep breath, ignoring the magic as it traveled up her arms. "I know it was wrong to let her go-"

"Wrong?!" shouted Master Young, "It was absolutely ludicrous! And to tell her about the Shen Gong Wu?! What were you thinking?!"

"I didn't think, Master," she admitted, "I thought I had Wuya cornered and got carried away. It won't happen again."

"Of course you didn't!" cried Master Young, his sharp bark making Tala flinch, "You are impulsive and dangerous! It was a wonder anybody found you alive, this morning! Wuya is a Heylin Sorceress-"

"Master Young,"

"A deadly, dangerous-"

"_Master Young,_"

"Just what in Heaven's name were you thinking by taking her on alone like that?!"

"_Keyota_!"

Master Young spun around, his robes swirling. "I HEARD YOU!"

Tala wasn't the only one who was given a shock. The Apprentices all flinched as well, though they were standing behind Tala at a safe enough distance from Master Young's outburst. Chase, who had been standing the closest to Tala, took a half step forward while the others had stepped back.

The Grand Master ignored Master Young's insult graciously, his dark eyes glinting as his only acknowledgment of it. Grand Master Wei folded his hands behind his back as he rose from his chair, staring past Master Young and directly at Tala. "Not all hope is lost," he said.

"Hope?" spat Master Young, "This isn't about _hope_! We are in a war! Children are being orphaned and left on our doorstep by the hundreds! We finally have the magic in our arsenal to defeat this witch and, as per usual the _half-breed_ here ruins it!"

Tala hugged herself when her magic jumped and made her jolt. '_Go ahead and keep startling me_,' she warned silently, glaring up at her master from below her eyebrows, '_Let's see how dangerous and impulsive I can be when I can't hold back my magic anymore_.'

"This is about protecting our people!" Master Young carried on, oblivious to Tala's plight, "With the knowledge of the Shen Gong Wu in her head, Wuya will surely find a way to counteract us, taking away our advantage! We don't need hope! We need A mir-"

"A vault," interjected the Grand Master quietly.

"With all do respect, sir," said Chase, helping Tala to her feet, "We don't have a vault."

Tala thanked him with a flick of her eyes and backed away, avoiding Master Young's burning glower.

Grand Master Wei smiled. "Not yet, young monk," he corrected, "but the old watch tower should suffice for the time being."

"The watch tower?" snapped Master Young, "That building is far too old! It will crumble should the witch even flick it with her fingers!"

"Dramatics," sighed the Grand Master, "Have you forgotten, Master Young, how long the watchtower has stood against the Heylin? Has it not withstood attack for over a thousand years? You yourself hid behind those walls as a boy before capturing a witch yourself, as I recall."

Tala stared at Master Young with wide eyes. "You captured a witch?"

"Nearly every generation of Xiaolin Dragons at this Temple has," said the Grand Master, "It was an admirable feat, too. Master Young had faced off with her for three days, locked up in that tower. No matter what she threw at him, you master refused to yield, using all of his cunning and tact to finally corner and neutralize the threat she caused. Thanks to him, the witch was eventually worn out and apprehended."

Master Young was unreadable, his resting face as cold and grouchy as ever. "All of that is well and good," he said, "but even so, no building can stand forever. Please heed my counsel, Grand Master Wei. The watchtower is not safe."

"Even if it isn't," Dashi cut in, "We can still lure Wuya to it with the Shen Gong Wu and keep her there like Master Young did with the witch he arrested."

"And if the building collapses," added Chase with a smile, punching his palm for emphasis, "We can trap her inside of the rubble."

"That would be the preferable outcome," said Guan, thoughtfully rubbing his chin, "But it's not the Wu she wants, is it?"

He looked at Tala, and the rest of the men followed his gaze. She did her best not to look too intimidated. "She'll be out for my blood, yes, but this serves at the best opportunity to trap Wuya," Tala told him with a nod.

Looking to both of the masters, she added, "I will have to side with the Grand Master on this one. We need a safe place to hide the Shen Gong Wu. Even if it's only a decoy to trap Wuya, I do believe the watchtower will be our best bet."

"It's agreed, then," said Grand Master Wei, smiling grandly.

Tala did not return his smile, narrowing her eyes instead.

"Collect all of the Shen Gong Wu at once," Grand Master Wei told them, meeting Tala's suspicion with his own squint, "and put them in the watchtower. Only time will tell when Wuya will return again, and we must be ready for her."

* * *

All of the Shen Gong Wu had been collected by nightfall and carefully hidden inside of the watchtower. All within the Temple gathered to witness the reveal of the new vault, every maid, guard, warrior and master crowding together to hear the Grand Master's speech, mind-numbing though Tala felt it was. She stood beside Guan, who was as attentive as the rest of the crowd, passively listening to Grand Master Wei.

"And this shall guide us into a new era…" Blah, blah, blah. His voice went through one ear and right out the other. She hazily blinked, swallowing down a yawn that popped like a bubble in her chest.

'_How can the three of you stand to listen to this without falling asleep_?' she marveled, eyeing the Apprentices with a grimace as they stood like statues. They were oblivious to Tala's thoughts, obediently keeping their focus on the Grand Master.

"Psst!"

Tala jerked her head up when it began to droop again.

"_Psssst_!"

The third hiss was swallowed up by the crowd clapping for Grand Master Wei as he left the stage, nodding to the commonfolk every so often while he passed them. Tala didn't need to hear the third hiss, though. She had already noticed, and whipped her head around to find the source.

Jia was crouched in the alley between the vault and the main building, looking up at Tala with the wide eyes of a stray cat that had been caught sneaking around in the kitchens. She flicked her fingers, beckoning Tala to come down with a silent 'We need to talk.'

Tala looked over her shoulder. Satisfied that none of the others had noticed. They were too busy shaking hands with lesser warriors and masters. She snuck away, carefully clambering down from the lofty stone plateau.

Jia snatched Tala's wrist and yanked her into the shadows with her. Tala glared at her and twisted her arm away. "What was that for?" she hissed.

"We don't have much time!" insisted Jia, eyes round, "You must listen to what I have to say quickly before we're found out! He could be-"

Jia looked around again. She pulled Tala into a crouch, whispering, "He could be listening."

Tala raised an eyebrow. "The Grand Master?"

"NO-" Jia covered her mouth with a squeak before glaring at Tala. "_No_," she said, "Chase. Have you not noticed by now that he's been looking at you strangely?"

"Chase has always looked at me strangely," Tala grumbled, "He's… he's passionate. About magic. He's paid me special attention for it since I was a child. There's nothing new about it. Jia, what is going on? You look frightened. You're starting to scare me."

"Tala," said Jia, "As your friend, I have to warn you."

Tala reached out and took Jia's hands. "You're shaking."

"I'm afraid! For you!" Jia explained, a sweet, tearful smile on her face. She reached over and cupped Tala's cheek. "My dear girl, you have no idea."

"You're crying," said Tala, reaching out to brush Jia's tears away, "Tell me what's going on, please!"

"Remember that I'm your friend, Tala," she continued, "Remember that I love you. You're the sister I should have wanted. I only want what's best, so believe me when I tell you to stay away from Chase Young."

"You keep mentioning him," said Tala, "What's happened?"

Jia shook her head. "It doesn't matter," she said, "But, please, you have to trust me! He means your end! I know it!"

"My what?" clipped Tala, "Chase is my friend, Jia. He wouldn't hurt me. I don't know what's going on between the two of you, but Chase is the golden boy of the Temple. He would do anything to save face. Hurting a fellow Xiaolin Warrior is the quickest way to be knocked from you pillar, if I've ever known any."

She shrugged. "Well, aside from being a witch, of course."

Tala blinked hard, having to stop for a second. "Anyway," she said, "even if anything were to happen, he'd-"

"Tala, please!" begged Jia, "I heard him talking to himself the other night. He mentioned some sort of pearl and a crown, and… selfishness. Something about selfishness."

Tala's stomach flipped, but she played dumb and held Jia's forehead to hers. Even though she feigned confidence and clarity, Tala's voice shook with foreign thickness, giving away the knots slowly coiling in her stomach. "You aren't making any sense. Ma Yuma must have fermented that wine longer than we thought, and given you bad dreams."

Jia hiccuped past her tears, nodding. "He means to use you for something," she insisted, "but I dare not know what. You'll be hurt!"

Tala pulled away and held Jia's shoulders to make the maid look her in the eye. Jia's eyes were like polished river stones, waterfalls still flowing from them. Tala kept her gaze as steady as she could, though she was beginning to shake herself. "Chase isn't going to hurt me," Tala whispered, "I promise."

* * *

Chase clenched his fist as he watched them from behind the wall. That stupid maid was ruining everything! How dare she even consider going to Tala?! Did she really think there wouldn't be a punishment for this?!

He saw Tala pull them both back up from their knees and wave Jia off. "What now, little maid?" he chuckled, "She isn't listening, is she? You did this for _nothing_~"

Chase smiled as the maid began to walk away.

"That's my girl," he whispered to Tala, "Send her away now, and put whatever she said at the back of your mind. Just another hysterical woman, that's all she is. Jia doesn't know anything about us."

His grin widened when he realized. "But _you _do, don't you? You feel it. That's why you don't believe her."

Tala pulled Jia back by her wrist as the girl went to walk away, and pulled her into a hug. She had to stand on her tiptoes to get her arms around Jia's neck. They were embraced for a little bit longer than what Chase felt comfortable with until Jia finally let Tala go. "I can't wait to get rid of you, you stupid busybody," he grumbled as Jia slipped into the shadows, leaving Tala to stand alone in the alley.

Thunder clouds were billowing in from the east. Their rumbling could be heard for miles. Chase watched Tala look up at the sky, a wary eye to the moon as the dark grey mass began to cover it. She folded her arms against the sudden chill that the storm brought with it.

"You look so lonely," Chase whispered, watching her shiver. He couldn't help feeling a bit small himself. "I'm here. Look at me."

Tala looked in his direction and Chase nearly jumped out of his skin, slamming his back to the wall. "I didn't mean it literally!" he wheezed.

'_Well, that was_...' Chase leaned against the wall, his mind and heart both racing. Holding his chest, a small smile made its way onto his face. They really were connected! "It's a sign! We really are the-"

"Chase?"

Chase flinched, looking up to see Guan staring down at him.

"What are you doing sitting on the ground?"

"Um,"

"Are you alright?" asked Guan, smirking, "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Uh,"

Guan offered Chase a hand, and he took it. "Master Young has given you and I the first shift over the vault," Guan told him, "We should get going."

"Yeah…"

Chase looked over his shoulder, leaning over to look into the alleyway. Tala had disappeared, gone with the trickling of the rain beginning to drizzle over the rooftops.


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

_Twenty Four__ Mala Mala Jong

Rain pounded the shingles of the Temple's rooftops and spilled down the sides of the complex, turning the dusty streets at once to mud and slick. The loud and constant pattering of the rain went numb to Chase's ears after the first hour or so, dead noise only cut into by the twice as loud thunder roaring overhead.

He stood opposite of Guan, well more like leaned. Guan was the one standing guard. Chase had gotten bored and decided to let his back rest a little, staring up at the moldy underside of the awning spewing down waterfalls from the relentless storm.

Chase yawned as Guan said, "Shouldn't be too long, now. Tala and Dashi will be here to take our places soon."

"Dashi," Chase grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose, "_He_ should be the one to guard his precious Wu, not us."

"The Shen Gong Wu were created to protect everyone," Guan chided, "Dashi didn't make them only for himself. Besides, we have our own personal Wu to keep safe as well."

"Hmph."

The storm roared and raged overhead, thunder grumbling louder than the hunger in Chase's stomach. The summer heat evaporated into a mist even as the rain fell its hardest, covering everything but a few of the shrub bushes and trees directly in Chase's vision. The air was thick with the stuff, so dense that he could feel his lungs filling with water. It was only a matter of time before- speak of the devil -SMACK! Chase slapped an unfortunate mosquito that had decided to dine on his neck.

"I hate this," he growled, gathering up his hair to keep it from sticking to his neck, "It's really starting to mess with my hair!"

A dark mass darted between the bushes. Chase jumped to his feet. "Did you see that?"

Guan steeled himself. "What? Where?"

"There," said Chase. The shadow appeared a second time. "There it is again! Over there, near that tree!"

They both crouched into a stance. "Get ready," Guan warned.

Chase smirked. "Oh, don't worry," he growled, focusing on the approaching mass, "I've been ready for a fight all day."

"Big Bang Meteorang!"

"Arrow Sparrow!"

Both Wu launched themselves as opposing arcs, aimed for the approaching target. They exploding on impact, clearing the fog. Both smoke and mist mingled together. Whatever had been the target began to cough as it stepped out into the clear.

Tala held her arm out, a blue shield of pulsing magic covering both her and Dashi, who was crouched and bracing himself behind her. "Well," she said between coughs, "at least we know they work."

"Oh, man," said Chase, his stomach dropping, "Tala!"

He tore the Arrow Sparrow's satchel from over his shoulder and dropped it, running to her. Chase caught Tala by her shoulders. "Are you okay?" he asked, cupping her face in his hands.

She was covered in soot from the Wu, most of it turning her yellow robes black thanks to the drenching rain, but looked altogether unharmed. Tala smirked up at him. "Who died and named you my Mama?" she teased. Tala slid his hands off of her, "I'm fine."

Chase glared at Tala. "You think this is a joke?" he snapped, "You should have told us it was you running around out there! You could have gotten hurt. You too, Dashi."

Dashi just waved at him, far too relaxed for a man that was almost blown to peices by a pair of magical weapons. Chase sneered at him. "Whatever. It's your post now."

"Its finally good to see you again," said Guan, bowing to Tala with a smile.

Tala nodded, bowing back with a grin of her own. "You too."

"Come on, Guan," snapped Chase over his shoulder as he began to storm off, "Let's go get something to eat. I'm starving."

Just as the word came from his mouth, a green fireball landed at Chase's feet. They all looked up to the sound of Wuya's laughter mingling with the thunder and rain. She stood on the rooftop, her red hair shining against the flashes of lighting. The witch sneered down at them, green eyes illuminated in the fog. She was surrounded by hundreds of spirits glowing in that same green, a wall of hovering lights.

"Well, well," purred Wuya, "I bet you weren't expecting this."

She raised her arms, showing off the army of beings behind her with a grin.

"Ugh," Chase growled, "I am so sick of magic today!"

"Chase, wait!" shouted Tala as he launched himself with a punch aimed for the gloating hag, "You can't beat her alone!"

Wuya caught his arm and kicked Chase down into the mud, following him with a hop. She floated to the ground, landing on the tips of her toes and a sweet flutter of her eyelashes. "You should listen to your girlfriend, pretty boy," she cooed, "Tala obviously knows what she's talking about."

Tala caught Chase by the shoulder before he could charge again. He whipped around on her, but the stern look on Tala's face made him think twice about telling her off. She shook her head, and he backed down.

Tala stepped forward, iron in her step and a sharpness in her eyes. "I know you're here to kill me," she told Wuya, her accent rich and deep, "Let them leave peacefully. Then you and I can settle this like witches."

"Like witches?" Wuya scoffed, "Please, you couldn't fight like a witch to get yourself out of a burlap sack, miss-play-by-the-rules! You're too soft, too fair. No,"

A green blaze ignited in the palm of Wuya's hand. She held it up to her face, her teeth glittering against its light as she said, "You're not a witch. You're a Xiaolin warrior, and an embarrassment to all things Heylin. Which is why you must die."

Wuya threw the fireball at Tala. Tala dodged, screaming, "NOW!"

"Big Bang Meteorang!" Guan's Wu cut through the army of ghosts, but they weren't affected, realigning themselves back to their chosen shapes when it sped through their wispy bodies.

"Shimo Staff!" Dashi's Staff morphed into a double-ended spear. He charged Wuya, grappling with her. He was just barely fending off her fiery hands as they deadlocked, fighting over control of the Shimo Staff.

"Eye of Dashi!" Tala cried, blasting Wuya away when the witch got the upper hand over Dashi. The two high-fived as they ran after her where she landed.

Guan was now surrounded by the ghosts, more appearing as he cut through them with his Wu.

"Arrow-"

Chase panicked, realizing his satchel was gone. "Wait," he said, looking around, "where's my Arrow Sparrow?"

It was still on the steps of the vault where he had dropped it. Chase sprinted to it, sliding in the mud to grab it, but a ghost had beaten him to it. The ugly little thing was just a floating head of green mist, eyeless and pitiful with an open mouth forever frozen in agony. Chase smirked at it and bat the ghost away, but it hovered and dove down into the Arrow Sparrow.

The Arrow Sparrow glowed and began to hover.

"Arrow," he laughed nervously, "Sparrow?"

The birds emerged from the satchel, each glowing green. Chase didn't think twice before ducking when they shot toward him. He avoided the sparrows in time, but they made a beeline for Guan, who was too busy fending off his own pesky opponents.

"Guan, look out!" Chase shouted, but he was too slow.

Instead it was Tala to the rescue, cutting the birds down with her fan, its golden blade still smoking from its summoning. "Chase," she called, "Don't let them get to the Wu! They'll possess them!"

"Yeah, no kidding," Chase sneered back, crouching into a stance as more ghosts approached.

"Alright, guys," said Chase, eyeing the crowd of writhing spirits with an arched eyebrow, "Who wants to fight a real warrior? No magic necessary."

The ghosts all attacked at once, flying through him and into the vault.

"What?! NO!" Chase hollered. He tried to pull open the doors, but they would not budge. "No, no nonononono!"

"Guan!" he heard Tala say, "Go help Chase! They can't get to the Wu!"

Guan was slowed down by another wall of spirits. Even with Tala to cover him, more and more ghosts kept blocking Guan from getting to the vault. As if that wasn't bad enough, the possessed Arrow Sparrow birds dive-bombed them, forcing Tala to create a shield of blue light. She held it above herself and Guan, flinching at each blast from the exploding birds.

Tala didn't look like she could take much more of it, buckling with each hit. The spirits swirled around them, sucking at the shield. The shield stitched itself back together after each loss as quickly as it had evaporated. Guan kept throwing his Meteorang at the Arrow Sparrows with each opening of the shield, but they dodged every one of his attempts only to attack again in a green blaze.

The shield shimmered. Tala fell to her knees, her arm still outstretched. The shield was a faint blue light now, repairing itself more slowly with each new assault.

"That's why Wuya brought the ghosts," Chase realized, "They're draining Tala's energy!"

He waved his arms and began to jump up and down. "HERE! OVER HERE!"

The Arrow Sparrows faced him, pulsing brightly. The ghosts continued their attack, but at least he had a chance to give Guan and Tala time to recover.

"You want an easy target?" he yelled, "I'm right here! Come and get me!"

The Arrow Sparrow sped toward him. Chase ducked and rolled away just in time for them to blast through the vault doors. Green smoke danced with black dust. The rain lightened to a steady drumbeat, but all else was silent.

The ghosts had stopped their attack, hovering above Tala and Guan. Even Wuya and Dashi stopped fighting. She held Dashi by the collar of his uniform. Dashi lost his grip on the Shimo Staff and it fell to the ground, shrinking to its smallest size with a _ching!_

Wuya grinned. Though Dashi was beaten black and blue, Chase heard his scratchy voice. "Why are you-"

"Wait," said Wuya, all slither and slime.

She dropped him, tossing Dashi away without even so much of a glance at the damage she had caused. All of the witch's focus was on the open door of the vault, green smoke piling high into the sky from the darkness within.

With the snap of Wuya's fingers, the smoke was sucked back into the the gaping maw of the vault, ravenously devoured. As suddenly as the silence began, it was swallowed up by a roar of wind. The ghosts still outside of the vault whipped themselves up into a frenzy, energized by their brothers' and sisters' surge.

Ghosts poured out of the vault, dragging all of the Shen Gong Wu with them. Weapons fell like rain, each ghost diving into their own Wu once it hit the ground. One by one, the Shen Gong Wu glowed, floating with new life. Each Shen Gong Wu was aimed at the warriors, awaiting their mistress's order.

"Sorry, kids," said Wuya, "show's over."

Chase had barely reached Guan and Tala before the possessed Wu began to attack, Tala throwing another shield. The attacks ripped away at Tala's shield unsuccessfully, but she was weak. Without Chase keeping her upright, Tala could hardly stand.

Tala leaned into him, shaking. "Where's Dashi?" she slurred, eyes half closed.

Chase held Tala steady. She looked so pale, like a coat of ash was covering her brown skin. Knots twisted his stomach. "It's going to be okay," Chase promised himself more than her, "We're going to be okay."

Chase held Tala closer, looking up to see if he and Guan could fight their way out. The possessed Wu was surrounding them on either side, blasting, spitting, butting, hitting, scratching, and stabbing their way through the shield only for the magic to come back together just as quickly. But above was the sky, raindrops like needles rippling against the shuddering blue. Their escape route, if Chase could play this right.

"You're going to have to let down your shield, Tala," he said, looping the Eye of Dashi off of her limp neck, "We have to fight."

Chase wound the cord around his fingers and held the Eye of Dashi firmly in his palm. "Guan."

Guan followed Chase's head nod to the top of the shield, realized what Chase wanted with a smirk, and nodded back. He paused and looked down at Tala in Chase's arms, the smirk dropping.

"We need to get out of here," Chase said, knowing exactly what that clench in his best friend's jaw meant, "You can apologize after we survive, but we all need to do that, okay?"

Guan sighed and nodded. Chase glanced up at their opening again and squeezed Tala's shoulder lightly.

"Are you ready, Tal?" he asked.

Tala flicked her fingers and the shield dropped.

"Big Bang Meteorang!" cried Guan. The Meteorang cut through the other Wu like cloth, splitting them open to lifelessly fall to the ground.

"Yes!" Chase hissed, but the victory was celebrated too soon.

The Wu glowed green again and reformed, floating in the air above the three with a taunting bob.

The Shroud of Shadows came at Chase first, fluttering wildly in the wind. "Eye of Dashi!"

The Shroud fell, smoking where it had been singed.

"Eye of Dashi!" So did the Fist of Tebigong.

"Big Bang Meteorang!" And the Two-Ton Tunic.

The Third Arm Sash coiled and struck at Guan like a snake. Guan snatched the Sword of the Storm out of the air and swung at the Sash, but the Sword turned on him, twisting out of Guan's grip and pointing its tip at his nose.

Guan spread out his arms to block the advancing Wu to reach Chase and Tala, but all was hopeless. The three were backed against the wall of the vault, only with the Eye of Dashi and the Big Bang Meteorang to protect them. Chase held Tala close, shielding her head with his hand, but she was limp and unresponsive.

"Is she awake?" Guan asked as the possessed Wu closed in, "We could use some magic right about now."

"No," said Chase, "Tala's out. She can't help us."

The Third Arm Sash was slammed to the ground when it struck, the head pierced through by a glass spear. Dashi shook it off of the Shimo Staff and blocked the Sword of the Storm as it came down over his head.

"Dashi," cried Chase, "where have you been, man?! We needed you!"

"Getting my butt kicked by Wuya," Dashi grunted, tossing the Sword of the Storm out of a deadlock. "But don't worry," he added with a bruised smile over his shoulder, "I'm here to make sure you guys don't-"

Dashi frowned when he saw Tala limp in Chase's arms. "Well, this is inconvenient."

"No kidding!" snapped Chase, ducking and shielding Tala as the Sword of the Storm crashed into the wall above his head.

"Take over," he said to Guan, passing Tala to him, "_I'm_ taking that witch out."

"You don't have a weapon," Guan pointed out, "Yours was possessed."

Chase held up the Eye of Dashi, still wrapped around his palm. "Yes I do."

"You're not going alone," said Dashi.

Chase glared at him. "No," he said, "Stay here and help Guan guard Tala until she recovers. We need her magic."

"Tala would never forgive us if we let you go after her aunt on your own," Dashi insisted.

"Tala would never forgive me if I let you fight Wuya while you're injured," Chase shot back, "She still hasn't quite forgiven me for the shoulder thing, yet."

"This is all rather touching, boys,"

Wuya floated behind them, her toes just barely off of the ground. Several possessed Shen Gong Wu accompanied her, all glowing the same green as the pulsating energy coating her hands. She held one up, the energy glowing brighter and its circumference growing wider. "but," she said with a pointy grin and a shrug of her shoulders, "I'm still going to have to kill all of you."

"Like hell you are," Chase growled, "Eye of Dashi!"

The lightning shot at Wuya, but she dodged it with a laugh, floating into the air. "You honestly thought that was going to work?" she cooed, safely levitating high above them, "You really are dumber than I give you credit for. At least Tala knows how to create a proper ambush. Nice try, though."

"Eye of Dashi!" he tried again, but Wuya kept dodging each time Chase tried to shoot her down.

"Myyy turn~" sang Wuya, the energy in her palm igniting into fire.

She threw curve ball after curve ball as Chase and Dashi dodged her, criss crossing while they ran to avoid getting hit.

"We have to keep her away from Tala long enough for her to wake up," said Dashi, "Tala knows about negating Wuya's powers the best."

"Thanks, captain obvious," snapped Chase, just barely ducking another green fireball, "Like I didn't already think of that."

"This is my fault," Dashi said, ducking. The fireball that was aimed for him scorched the side of the vault, nearly grazing his shoulders.

"You can say that again- wait, why?"

"I knew the Shen Gong Wu take a toll on Tala's magic," Dashi admitted, "but I didn't think creating them would make her this weak."

"What are you saying?"

Dashi wheeled on an approaching fireball. "Shimo Staff!"

The Shimo Staff transformed into a giant paddle and smacked the fireball to the ground. Dashi and Chase were back to back as possessed Shen Gong Wu began to surround them, cutting off any escape they had put their hopes in.

"Most of Tala's energy is spent sealing magic inside of the Wu. It costs her a lot to split herself between so many objects. I knew that, but I got cocky and kept asking her to help me make more," said Dashi, "The truth is, protecting you and Guan took a lot more out of Tala than it should have. Now, we all have to pay for my lack of better judgement."

"I knew I shouldn't have trusted you with her," Chase growled, "_I _should have been the one to-"

The possessed Wu descended upon them like a pack of wolves. Wuya was their Alpha, a deadly gleam in her spiraling, green eyes. The slow and calculated way she walked, gyrating her hips, reminded Chase a little too much of a cat sizing up a mouse.

"When this is over, baldy," Chase hissed, crouching into a stance, "I'm going to kill you."

"If we make it out alive," Dashi corrected, lifting his Staff for the defense.

"Well, well, well," said Wuya, "two handsome boys caught in my trap. And here I came looking to hunt down my traitorous half-brat of a niece. I lucked out, today."

The possessed Arrow Sparrows floated up to Chase, bobbing with Wuya's words. "Traitors," he grumbled.

Wuya cackled at the boys' struggling attempts to defend themselves against the attacking weapons. Dashi turned the Shimo Staff into a shield, and Chase blasted Wu after Wu with the Eye of Dashi, but their weak defensive strategy quickly took its toll.

The Sword of the Storm caught them up into a whirlwind, snatching Chase and Dashi into the air high above. Wuya's leering grin was manic, spiraling eyes wide and hypnotic. "I can smell your fear, boys," she said, "Simply pathetic. I thought you Xiaolin warriors were supposed to be brave in the face of death."

Her humor died faster than a flame swallowed up by water. "Drop them."

The drop was quick, but the impact was not. Chase opened his eyes. His nose hovered inches from the ground. Though his heart was beating rapidly, Chase's smile was wide.

Then he fell, smashing his nose into the ground. When Chase looked up, wiping the mud from his eyes, Tala and Guan were standing on either side of Wuya, both wielding their personal Shen Gong Wu. Both brandished their enhancers, Tala with her Crest of the Condor, and Guan with his Longhorn Taurus.

The armor-like Wu were activated, covering Guan and Tala's arms and shining with their magical glow. Tala still looked rather pale, and her stern face showed just how much concentration she was using up to keep from fainting again. She was bravely ready to fight anyway, pointing the Blade of the Nebula at Wuya.

"Leave our friends alone," she growled, accent thicker than Chase had ever heard it.

"Oh, Tala," cooed Wuya, "awake from your little nap, I see. Looks like those silly toys of yours have quite the drawback."

"We can still stop you," said Tala.

Wuya raised her eyebrows. "I should have warned you about that whole energy exchange thing," she said, inspecting her nails, "but I assumed you'd be fine. Sadly, mutts are still brand new territory, so I'll admit it was a terrible guess on my part. Isn't it funny, though. What takes little effort for me must take strenuous amounts of effort for you. And with all these ghosts powering your- what are they called? Shen Gong Wu? Well, let's just say so many of these things being used at once simply _must_ be killing you."

Wuya grinned. "I guess I'll just have to drain every last drop to put you out of your misery, won't I?"

"Blade of the Nebula!" Tala screamed. The Blade transformed. In Tala's hands was a pair of- "Nunchucks?!" Tala hollered over her shoulder at Dashi, "Nunchucks, _really_? Why not an actual sword?!"

"Nunchucks are cool!" called Dashi, "It's not my fault you didn't test it!"

Wuya was upon the distracted Tala in a flash. "Not that it matters," she said, grabbing Tala's wrist, "Your toys don't affect me."

"They aren't her toys," said Dashi, holding up the spear-morphed Shimo Staff at the back of the witch's neck, "They're mine. Let her go."

Wuya rolled her eyes. She twisted and kicked Dashi away from her. Still holding Tala by her wrist, the witch sneered, "Didn't I beat you up enough, already? How about you shut up, sit down, and stop taking credit for someone else's magic before I ruin my own fun and kill you too early?"

The distraction was enough for Tala to twirl the nunchucks, whipping up the tornado between them. It grew, enveloping her and Wuya. Chase scrambled to his feet.

"We have to help her!" he cried. "Eye of Dashi-"

"No!" Dashi shoved him to knock the bolt off course, but it was already too late. The bolt hit its target, turning the tornado into a superstorm.

Lightning criss-crossed in every direction, illuminating Tala and Wuya's struggling silhouettes. Wuya had the upper hand in one flash and Tala the next. Guan joined where Chase and Dashi stood, the three waiting helplessly as their friend fought the witch on her own.

A high-pitched scream was heard and the tornado dissipated, dropping both Tala and Wuya. Neither of them stopped their impact and smacked into the ground, laying motionless on the vault steps. The Blade of the Nebula fell a few feet away from Tala's face-down body, splashing in the mud. The Crest of the Condor, back to its original bird-headed shape, fell at the boys' feet, scorched and still smoking.

Chase stopped breathing. He stared at the Crest, his whole body seizing up as ice spread from his chest and through his veins, floodling into every corner of him, even the fingertips.

Guan was the first to react, running to Tala and shooing away the ghosts that floated near to her. He rolled Tala onto her back, cradling her head against his shoulder. "She's breathing!" he cried when Tala gave a wheezing breath, snapping Chase back to reality.

Chase and Dashi ran as fast as they could. Chase dropped to his knees, taking Tala from Guan. He shook her gently. "Tala," he coached softly, "Come on, Tal, breathe."

Tala did not awaken, but she was alive, another of her wheezy breaths flooding Chase with relief. The tightness in his chest rose into his throat, opening up his lungs. Tears sprang to his eyes at the suddenness of it. He smiled as Tala's breathing began to regulate. "Atta girl," he encouraged, "Come on, Brave Girl, come on."

"Get away from her," Dashi snarled.

Chase looked up at Dashi and held Tala to his chest, watching Dashi size him up through wary eyes. Dashi stepped closer, his entire body rigid and his eyes blazing with rage.

"I said get away from her!" Dashi barked, "This is your fault! You shot Tala down!"

Guan got to his feet, standing between them. "Dashi," he said, "Now is not the time for the two of you to be-"

"He almost killed her!" Dashi shouted, "Now is the perfect time to give this jerk a piece of my mind!"

Tala coughed. "Let's not," she wheezed, "do….this… now."

She tried to sit up, but Chase kept her down. "You need to rest," he insisted when she glared at him.

"Get off of me," she said, but it was hard to take the girl seriously while she was looking at him through half-open eyes.

"I agree," snapped Dashi, offering Tala his hand. He glowered at Chase, waiting for her to take it, black eyes glinting with mutual disgust.

Dashi had to steady her while Tala tried to stand, hooking an arm around her back when she buckled. But this was all the help Tala allowed, shoving Dashi with surprisingly enough strength to push him off balance for a few seconds.

Tala was standing, though visibly shaking from the effort. "Where's my Wu?" she asked.

"I have your Crest," said Dashi, handing the blue skull to her, "The Blade is-"

Tala summoned the Blade of the Nebula to her hands, her face revealing nothing but annoyance.

"Doesn't that hurt you?" Dashi began to ask, but Tala shut him up with a glare.

Chase would have laughed, but someone began to laugh for him. All attention turned to Wuya as she picked herself up from the ground. She flipped the hair out of her face with a belly-deep laugh. "Is that really the best you kids can do?" she sneered, "My friends and I are only just getting warmed up."

As she spoke, the possessed Wu began to close in. "In fact," added Wuya as a few of them began to gravitate toward each other, "I'd like for you to personally meet one of them."

The Shen Gong Wu assembled themselves into a humanoid shape. The Helmet of Jong was the head, the ghost possessing it morphing the Helmet into a terrifying face. The ghost of the Helmet reached down into the Two-Ton Tunic, its own ghost pulling up both the Third Arm Sash and Fist of Tebigong into gowing arms. The Jetbootsu were its feet, stomping the ground in anticipation as the ghosts within connected to the rest. The Shroud of Shadows played as the beast's cape, clasped together to the Tunic by a blaze of ghostly fire. When the horrifying creature finished constructing itself, it reared its ugly head and roared.

"Meet my dear friend, Mala Mala Jong," said Wuya, beaming with pride, "This demon has been trying to find the perfect body to possess for centuries. And now, thanks to the four of you, he has one more powerful than he could ever ask for."

She snapped her fingers and Mala Mala Jong stretched out the Third Arm Sash, grabbing Tala by her middle. "But first," Wuya told the demon, "Where are my manners? I know you must be hungry, wandering the earth for so long without a body. I've heard that witch magic makes a good power snack for a hungry demon. What kind of hostess would I be if I let you fight on an empty stomach?"

Tala was yanked forward by the Sash and into the demon's awaiting jaws. Tala looked like she could hardly lift a finger, and yet when she placed her hand on the Third Arm Sash, saying, "Eat this, ghost!" blue lightning shot through the Sash and into the Tunic, forcing Mala Mala Jong to drop her.

Tala looked over her shoulder when she dropped, heaving heavily. "What are you waiting for?" she asked the boys, "Let's kill it!"

Guan, Chase and Dashi charged. Mala Mala Jong clawed at Tala again with the Third Arm Sash, but Chase wrapped it around his arm and pulled, trying to rip it from the demon's body. Instead of coming free, the Sash wrapped its body around Chase, pulling him closer to Mala Mala Jong.

"Chase, weapon!" Tala called, tossing him the kwan-dao sword she summoned. He caught it, the summoning smoke dissipating when he grabbed it mid air and twirled it, opening up both deadly ends of the blade.

Chase swung down, tearing the Third Arm Sash to ribbons. Chase was free, watching Mala Mala Jong restitch the Sash together again with a deep chuckle.

Tala blasted at Mala Mala Jong with her magic, landing in a crane stance beside Chase. Despite the possessed Shen Gong Wu and Mala Mala Jong closing in on them, Chase felt a rush of joy surge through him at the thought of finally fighting alongside her.

"Safe to say we shouldn't try to use any Wu, " said Chase with a wink, "Can't risk you fainting again."

Tala shrugged. "Hand-to-hand is more your speed, anyway," she trilled, non-nonsense, "From what I've seen today, you're not the best at handling magic."

Chase hid the slap to his pride with a smirk. "I have my Kwan-Dao sword," he said, "and you have your fan, but can you summon more regular weapons for Guan and Dashi?"

Tala's eyes darted to Guan and Dashi grappling with Wuya and some of the other possessed Wu. He could see that she had gotten much paler. Tala was shaking, a hard shudder rippling through her as she assessed the battlefield with focused eyes. She smiled at him, but Chase knew Tala well enough to tell the difference between the gleam of honesty and the sheen of a lie in her eyes. The truth was thinly veiled behind it, begging him to let her rest.

"I can manage," said Tala.

Chase was unconvinced, but he accepted it. "Good," he said, "I'll charge and distract while you get the weapons to them."

"Be careful," said Tala, breaking away first and slashing at one of the approaching ghosts with her fan.

Chase ran in the opposite direction, Mala Mala Jong's Third Arm Sash striking and missing as it went after him, thrusting itself with enough force to break the ground upon each blow.

* * *

Thanks to Tala, Guan got ahold of his favorite spear. He deflected the fireballs being shot at him by Mala Mala Jong's Star Hanabi, small sparks of flame surrounding him where they were knocked to the ground. He was playing the diversion, their plan being to disassemble the demon Wu by Wu.

Tala was behind Mala Mala Jong, ready to cut the Shroud of Shadows down from his back with her fan. Mala Mala Jong detected her and retaliated with the Fist of Tebigong, cracking the ground beneath Tala's feet with an earth-shattering punch.

Tala fell, instantly overshadowed by Wuya. The hag smiled down at her. "Why, Tala, you don't look so good" she sneered, "Need some help?"

"Not from you!" cried Dashi, blindsiding Wuya with a kick to her jaw. It sent her flying, leaving Dashi to stand where she stood. The light was cast from behind him, and the world slowed.

"You okay?" he asked.

Tala jolted back to herself, heat biting at her neck. "Yes."

"Let's go, then," he said before darting after Wuya.

Tala pushed herself to her feet and followed, readying her fan with a snap. She stopped mid-run and held her head. Spots swam around her vision, and it became much harder for Tala to breathe. She buckled, but forced herself to keep standing. Tala bit the inside of her cheek and tried to focus through her blurring vision, pushing herself into a light jog.

A wall of ghosts swept into her path, their ugly little mouths hanging open like baby birds. Tala growled and swung at them. "I don't have time for you parasites!" she hissed, as she hacked through their smoky faces, "Go haunt someone else!"

Exhausted and angry, Tala hadn't noticed the surge of magic channeling through her fan on the last swing. This time, when the fan cut through a ghost, the spirit did not come back. Shocked, Tala looked at her fan. She slowly smiled. "Ha," she choked, "HA!"

Tala began slashing at more and more until the ghosts advancing on her were all destroyed, laughing the entire way though until she had cut her way to the far side of the vault where the Third Arm Sash had Chase trapped.

Manic in her laughter now, Tala slashed at the possessed Wu trying to stop her. Each one fell, the ghosts leaving them with screams of anguish. She made it to Chase, her laughter and energy both gone, but a trail of exorcised Shen Gong Wu in her wake to show for it.

Chase beat back the Third Arm Sash with "Repulse the Monkey" momentarily before it wrapped itself around the Kwan-Dao sword in a tug-of-war.

Tala fell beside him, wheezing.

"Tala, get out of here!" he ordered, yanking hard and twisting the Kwan-Dao sword. The Third Arm Sash was just as stubborn as he was, unrelenting no matter how hard Chase pulled.

Tala reached up and touched the Sash one last time, directing lightning through it again. Stunned, the Third Arm Sash uncoiled itself from Chase's weapon and retreated back to the Two-Ton Tunic.

Tala shuddered with the effort of staying conscious. "Get those Wu while you still can," she told Chase as he bent down beside her, "They won't stay unpossessed for very long."

Chase's intense stare and the squeeze of his hand were the only things she could focus on in her dizziness.

"How did you do that?" Chase asked.

Tala just stared at Chase, shaking as the world around him began to spin. "Go."

Chase gave Tala's hand a final squeeze before running off into the mist.

* * *

Wuya's smile was sharp and cruel as she and Dashi circled each other, but he was ready. Though unable to see out of his swollen eye, Dashi noticed the blood running down one of the witch's legs and the slight limp that came with it. He smiled.

"What's that smile for?" asked Wuya, raising her eyebrows.

"It's funny how you think you're winning," said Dashi.

Wuya's smile dropped into a thin line. She charged him, hands glowing with green energy. "You're disappointing," she said when they met in a deadlock, "I don't know what that girl sees in you."

Up close, Wuya's feral eyes were a little more than unsettling. Their venomous color made Dashi's stomach churn. "What girl?"

Wuya batted her eyelashes. "You know what girl," she answered coyly.

Wuya cocked her head, narrowing her eyes. "Although, this close I can kind of get how she could see you as handsome," the witch said, flicking her gaze with a small smile, "Pretty eyes, strong jaw, hmm- If I were a few thousand years younger…"

Disgusted, Dashi kicked at Wuya's injured leg. She twisted and fell. Dashi stood over Wuya, shifting his Shimo Staff into a spear. He aimed it at her nose. "As if I'd take any interest in you, you creepy old hag."

"It's because of my race, isn't it?" she joked flatly, "Best two out of three?"

Dashi retracted the spear, glaring down at the witch. "Not today," he said, "We're locking you up for good, this time."

"No Tala to try to beat me to death?" asked Wuya with an arched eyebrow, "How boring."

"She's otherwise engaged," Dashi snapped, "Now, get up. I'm arresting you."

"I don't take orders from humans," said Wuya, "Especially not from ones without any hair."

"Boo hoo, I'm so insulted," said Dashi, "It doesn't matter whether I have hair or not. What counts is that your reign of terror ends today. "

Wuya's smile was wolfish. "I wouldn't celebrate just yet, if I were you."

Wuya spun to her feet, roundhousing Dashi in the gut. Dashi flew back, dropping his Wu. Wuya approached him slowly as Dashi recovered, heaving with every breath. He coughed up a bit of blood, cringing when he heard her soft chuckle only twenty feet away.

Wuya bent down and plucked the shrunken Shimo Staff from the grass. "My, my," she said, inspecting it in the light, "How _do_ you humans do it?"

"How do we humans do what?" Dashi growled, still unable to stand. His side and stomach throbbed too much, shooting sharp pains up his neck.

Wuya glared at him and threw the Shimo Staff away. "Trick innocent girls into becoming your puppets," she snarled.

Wuya was faster than light, appearing in front of Dashi before he could blink. The witch lifted Dashi high above her by the collar of his uniform.

"First my sister, now Tala," she snapped, "It's idiots like them that got us into this war to begin with. Meanwhile, all your people do is take, take, take! We grant a few stupid wishes, and whammo: your kings and masters get all power hungry. I think after my people showed you such kindness, you apes forgot something. We don't live to serve you,"

Wuya slammed Dashi into the ground, growling, "you live to serve us."

* * *

The storm above passed with only the echoes of distant thunder remaining. The sun poked through the clouds, mugging up the air and blanketing the ground in a fresh layer of thick fog that piled high into the trees.

Guan and Chase stood back-to back, eyes on the mist surrounding them. "Mala Mala Jong could be anywhere," said Guan.

"At least we have our Wu back," said Chase, tightening the strap of his now de-possessed Arrow Sparrow, "For the most part."

Moaning began to reach along the courtyard, a chorus of it seeming to rise from the earth itself as the sun began to shine. Blue chased away the clouds and the fog began to settle, revealing the possessed Wu writhing and falling to the ground, abandoned by the spirits that had fueled them.

The only spirit left standing was Mala, Mala Jong, and in a rage he stomped across the courtyard, bellowing out a beastly war cry. Between him and the boys was Wuya, standing over Dashi's limp body triumphantly.

"I'll take the demon," said Guan with a smile and an offered palm, "You take the witch. Deal?"

Chase smiled back and shook Guan's hand. "Deal," he said, splitting away from Guan and toward Wuya.

"Arrow Sparrow!" Chase cried, throwing the birds in a fiery blaze aimed for the the back of Wuya's head.

Wuya spun around and caught them, absorbing their fire and dropping the sparrows to the ground. "Didn't I already say that your little toys can't hurt me?"

"Big Bang Meteorang!" Guan's aim was true, but Mala Mala Jong caught it, grunting out a mechanical laugh.

"Switch?" asked Chase when they found themselves back to back again.

Guan nodded. "Switch," he agreed.

They split again, attacking their opposite targets. Wuya and Guan were hand-to-hand, dodging blow after blow, but Chase had his own problems without having to keep an eye on them.

He seized up Mala Mala Jong, not even cringing when it hinged and unhinged its jaw with a metallic screech. "She might not be affected by Shen Gong Wu," said Chase, "but I bet you are. Arrow Sparrow!"

The birds flew at Mala Mala Jong, exploding upon contact with the Fist of Tebigong, held high to protect the demon's face. The Wu that kept the demon together fell to the ground.

Chase pumped his fists. "Yes!"

The Wu each glowed and reassembled themselves.

Chase groaned as Mala Mala Jong fixed its head back into place, the creature's deep laugh taunting him.

"Blade of the Nebula!"

Mala Mala Jong was thrown into a whirlwind, howling its anger but helpless to free itself. Tala sauntered up next to Chase with a big smile, the Blade slung over her shoulder. "What did I miss?"

"Where have you _been_?" Chase snapped, "The last time I saw you, you couldn't even stand! What happened to you?!"

"Since the Wu are no longer all being used at once, I'm not being drained so rapidly. I was able to regain my strength after those ghosts died off," she explained with a wink, "All I needed was to get rid of the possessed Shen Gong Wu."

"You're kidding me," Chase deadpanned.

"It is a bit more complicated than that," said Tala. She began to jog toward where Guan and Wuya were, brightly looking back at Chase over her shoulder. "But that explanation's for a time when we aren't fighting for our lives, yes? Let's get going."

"Wait. Do you know what happened to those things?" he asked, joining her, "Guan and I heard them moaning, and all of a sudden they just left."

"Those were vengeful spirits," said Tala, "They only have power in dark places, especially during terrible storms. It's why Wuya used them this way."

"But she didn't know that sunlight kills them?"

"She must have known that too," snipped Tala, "After all, she was the one who taught _me_ about spirits. But being that she's an all-powerful sorceress, Wuya probably just doesn't care. Means to an end, and all. It's Mala Mala Jong we'll have to worry about."

"I agree," said Chase, "Do you have a plan?"

"Surprisingly, no," answered Tala with a wry grin, "Do you?"

"To exorcise this demon," he said, "That tornado is definitely not going to hold him much longer. You're looking pale again."

"Pssh," Tala scoffed, "I'm fine. Maybe a bit woozy, but relatively normal."

"You're far from normal," Chase grumbled, struggling to stop his grin from spreading.

"You go get Wuya," said Tala, back to her serious self, "Though I'm sure she'd rather me take this all personal, I'm the only one with the magic to exorcise ghosts. I need to see if I can exorcise this so-called demon, too."

"Fine," said Chase, "but be careful. I'll warn the others not to use any Wu for now."

"That's appreciated," said Tala, breaking off, "Don't die, alright? Your father will have me burned."

"If that's the case," said Chase, far more serious that Tala could ever know, "then I plan to be immortal."

* * *

"Now, how do I kill you?" Tala asked the howling demon still trapped in the Blade of the Nebula's vortex. "I could just rip you out of there with my fan like the others, though I'm not exactly sure how I managed it."

Mala Mala Jong continued to bellow and rage, trying to grab at Tala as he came around each rapid turn.

"Oh, quiet," she snapped, inspecting her spread-open fan, "I'm trying to concentrate. Can't remember if I can't think."

'_Come on, Tala_,' she coached herself, '_Pressed for time, here. Get on with it._'

"Alright," she growled, "Enough. Blade of the Nebula."

The tornado dissipated, broken apart into dual receding tides. Mala Mala Jong's Wu collapsed to the ground. Tala ran over, telling herself, "Now, you know you only have so much time until he regenerates, so make this count!"

Tala raised her fan above her head and focused as much magic as she could into it. The wind picked up her energy, blue shards of lightning twirling around Tala like a pair of dancers. "Die, demon," she said, and brought the flame covered fan down.

A pulse radiated throughout the courtyard, stopping everything. Wuya, Guan and Chase looked at her, shocked and even a bit afraid. Tala began to breathe heavily, instantly feeling the loss in her shaking arms, but it was worth it. She smiled a wild grin. Mala Mala Jong did not move.

Tala began to giggle, tears of relief coming to her eyes. None of the Wu- Not the Helmet, not the Sash, not even the Jetbootsu- moved. None of them so much as glowed. Tala burst out laughing.

She did it. For once, Tala got something right.

Tala laughed so hard that she did not notice the wisp of green rising out of the soft silk of the deactivated Two-Ton Tunic. It coiled like a snake, ready to snap at her heel.

"Tala, watch it!" shouted Chase.

Tala lifted her foot in time for the spirit to miss, diving into a rock instead. The rock glowed blindingly for a few seconds before its light died out. Sparks of green energy danced like lightning across the rock's surface when Tala bent down to pick it up. The activity snuffed out when she blew on it.

"It's dormant," she said, looking up at Wuya, "You've lost."

Wuya's rage was a boiling silence, building up until she erupted. Pillars of green fire poured from her mouth and hands while she shouted out into the sky. Guan and Chase got away just in time to avoid the licking flames as they settled into lines of black, cutting across the earth.

Wuya took a deep breath when she realigned her neck, staring at the monks sharply. "Now that _that's_ out of the way," she growled.

The monks all came forward, ready for a fight, but Wuya used the unconscious Dashi as her shield, lightning quick in holding her sharp claws to his throat. "Looks like my plan to weaken you didn't work, kid," she said, "Too bad."

"Let him go!" snapped Tala.

"Or what," Wuya sneered, "You'll try to punch me to death again? Here's a tip: if you want to do enough damage to kill somebody, make sure follow through with it."

Tala stepped forward, snarling, but Wuya pressed her claws deeper into Dashi's neck, making him groan. Tala seized up, the sudden shock of ice pouring over her shoulders.

"That's right, you stay," gloated Wuya, squeezing Dashi's throat just a little bit harder, "Just like the good little mutt you are. I'll tear his neck to ribbons if you don't do exactly as I tell you."

Wuya's green eyes were manic, darting from one monk to the other. "All of you."

"What do you want?" Chase demanded.

"Isn't it obvious?!" hissed Tala, her glare at him wide and horrified, "She wants us to let her go!"

Wuya chuckled. "Precisely," she cooed, "You'll do anything for your precious humans. I see that now. I'm not stupid. You are just like your mother, which means I want as far away from you as possible. Either I leave now or you force me to stay and I kill every last one of you. It's your choice, Tala."

"We won't let you-" vowed Guan anger surging him forward, but Tala held out her arm to bar him from getting any closer.

"We'll comply," she said, her eyes heavy-lidded with a glare. "Give him to us. Alive."

"Who says you can't fall back on a witch's words?" sighed Wuya.

"Everyone," said Guan.

Wuya's smile was as fake as Tala's composure, just barely holding herself back from tearing the sorceress to shreds. Wuya, however, did make good on her word, holding Dashi out to the monks gently like a sleeping child. "Come and get him," she offered.

Tala stepped out, but Wuya held Dashi back to her chest. "Ah, ah, ahh~" she sang, "The big one. Ponytail, not you. I don't want to have to touch you."

Tala stepped back, exchanging a look with Guan before he took Dashi from Wuya's hands. He stepped back, the jostling making Dashi groan again.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you, kid, it really was," said Wuya, stepping back, "I might even miss you a little. But, hey, those Wu of yours are pretty fun. I might take some for the road. Destroy a few cities, lay waste to a couple of crop fields. You know, I just might be back after all. Not quite sure I'm finished with you brats yet."

"Oh, no you don't!" said Chase, charging her, but Wuya was gone, vanished into the air without so much as her footprints in the mud to leave a trace.

* * *

"The Heart of Jong," said Dashi, presenting his latest sketch. The scroll was laid across his lap on his cott. The charcoal was still fresh, dusty fingerprints from late-night note taking smeared all over the edges. Tala looked at the strange -almost morbid- design, the rock Mala Mala Jong possessed sitting in her palms without so much as a spark.

The demon had stayed dormant since the battle, but Tala and Dashi grew way of it every day that they didn't have a permanent place to banish Mala Mala Jong to. And since Tala's energy was still recovering, she could not risk straining herself and falling into a deep unconsciousness.

Both of them had taken up residence in the medicine room through the help of Jia, who reported that Tala was too weak to get out of bed for anything to be considered indecent, so that they could make a plan to trap Mala Mala Jong for good. However, Tala would always have to scurry back to her bed and pretend to sleep whenever someone walked into the room.

Even so, her weakness was no trick. The assault from the ghosts took its toll on Tala, and some days she truthfully could not move, helplessly lying on her cott, or not walking for days. Dark circles puddled beneath Tala's eyes, and she often looked much paler than usual. She needed help standing on her shaky legs whenever she got out of bed, with some days worse than others.

But today was a better day, Tala and Dashi both feeling quite energetic and eager to work. Their lunch had already been brought, so it was safe enough for Tala to pull up a chair at Dashi's bedside, looking over notes from their sleepless conversations.

"The Heart of Jong," Tala repeated skeptically, "It says here that you plan on having it animate objects. We're trying to suppress a creature, not bring new ones to life."

"The thing is, though," insisted Dashi, "we can use that guy to power this Wu so you won't have to. I've learned my lesson the hard way and refuse to repeat it. Mala Mala Jong has enough magic to keep it running, while our binding it with your magic will keep him from escaping. It's the perfect solution to our problems!"

"You're sweet for trying it," said Tala, tucking her hair behind her ears, "but I don't think it'll work. Using Mala Mala Jong could make the Wu unpredictable. My magic is the safest bet for powering the Shen Gong Wu."

"Not for you, it isn't," said Dashi, "We can't risk the Wu being all activated at once again. You almost died."

"I didn't 'almost die,' Dashi," said Tala, "_You _almost died."

Dashi gave her a look that Tala rolled her eyes to, smiling.

"Just think about it," insisted Dashi, "And yes, you so did almost die."

"Did Chase tell you that?" Tala drawled.

"He didn't have to," said Dashi, "I was in here with you when you didn't wake up for three weeks."

"I'll be alright. That sort of thing won't happen again," Tala insisted, "The Wu are fine. Now, get some rest will you! I promise I'll think on it while you sleep. You're in much worse shape than I am. You're practically covered head to toe in wrapping. How many bones did Wuya break? Twenty?"

"Stop exaggerating," grumbled Dashi, "Worry about yourself for a change."

"I'm always worrying about myself," said Tala, walking back across the room to her own cott, "It's why the Xiaolin aren't getting their magic back."

"That's not true," said Dashi, "It's a joint effort."

"Joint effort," Tala snorted, "If I ever see that hag again, I'll force her to lift this stupid curse- AH!"

The rock floated beside Tala at her eye level, and in her surprise she swatted it down. The glowing stopped when the rock hit the ground, its surface smooth, grey and cold.

Tala stared at it wide-eyed, her heart still fluttering. "I think we should just do this now, then."

Dashi's expression was the same as hers. "You sure you don't need to think about it?"

"Think about it?" Tala cried, "The thing floated in front of my face!"

"But Mala Mala Jong-"

"Who cares about Mala Mala Jong!" cried Tala, "Let's just trap it and get this over with!"

"But his magic," said Dashi.

"Yes, sure, fine," she almost shouted, "We can try your new way! I don't care! We just need to keep him from getting out!"

"Calm down, okay," said Dashi, "I'm starting to not understand you again. No one is getting out of anything. The Temple is perfectly safe, I promise. Can I see the rock, please?"

It was all Tala could do not to throw it at his head, but she passively walked over anyway. She put the rock between them, her hands holding the bottom. Dashi placed his over top, and when they breathed in together, the room filled with light.


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

_Twenty Five__ Bad Blood

The beautiful polished jade of the Elder Council's meeting chamber shone like a mirror, reflecting each of the monks perfectly where they stood. The Elder Council stood at the center of the half-moon steps, their ornate robes, decorated with the patterns of winding serpents and beasts, were each the respective color of their own Dragon colors: Black, Water, of which there were two. Orange, Earth, of which there were three. And in the center stood the blue, Fire, worn by both Grand Master Wei and Master Young themselves.

Between them stood a golden box that drew Tala's eye with reverence. She could feel the energy from inside of it so strongly that the pull of whatever was inside made it near impossible for her to turn away from it. The spell of the box was only broken by Grand Master Wei's voice, a booming echo across the chamber.

"My dear Dragon Apprentices," he said, "Today marks the day of change for each and every one of you. Today, your new ranks will be chosen, and one among you shall be named the Shoku warrior of your generation."

Tala held her breath, more than a little surprised. Dashi had only just been released from the medicine room a few weeks ago. Even though most of his injuries were more-or-less healed, why would the Elders decide on ranking so soon? And the Shoku, no less! Well, there was no surprise who was going to get that.

Tala leaned forward a little to look at Chase down the line. He stood proudly, like the groomed soldier he was. His face was unreadable, calmer than a lake on a windless day. Tala actually felt rather proud of him. Chase deserved the position, really, working so hard to maintain his top status while also taking in and training the children left orphaned from Wuya's destruction.

With a smile, Tala realized that the strange and mysterious boy she had met all those years ago had suddenly grown into a man. And now it was time for that man to claim what he had worked so hard for. She smiled expectantly.

"Dashi," said the Grand Master. Tala stiffened.

"Step forward," said Grand Master Wei. Dashi obeyed.

Master Young took a wrapping of black silks from the box. Tala's heart thudded against her chest. She looked at Chase again from the corner of her eye, but the only sign of emotion he gave away was the dimple in his cheek that arced as he clenched his jaw. Guan, standing as firm and as quiet as the earth itself, was a mystery too, his breath being the only sign of life in him.

Dashi and Master Young bowed to one another as the folded silk was presented to Dashi. He unfolded the silk to reveal the bright colors, pheonix feathers of gold, orange and blue, against the stark black backdrop of the symbolic Shoku uniform.

"For your heroic bravery, selflessly sacrificing yourself to protect your team from the Heylin witch Wuya, and for your innovativeness in creating the Shen Gong Wu, I am proud to bestow upon you the title of Grand Master Dashi, Shoku warrior of the Xiaolin Dragons and my successor when my time as Grand Master of the Xiaolin Temple comes to an end."

Tala's heart snapped in two, taking flight and being shot down within seconds. Her stomach flipped with joy for Dashi and died with dread for Chase. The icy feeling gnawed away at Tala from the inside out, the same eerie wariness as losing her way in a dark forest.

The sight of Dashi, tears of happiness and surprise shining in his eyes overwashed that feeling with warmth, and Tala found his smile contagious. Tala beamed as she, Guan and Chase bowed to their new Shoku, but a wavering glance at Chase washed her smile clean away.

Tala felt unclean, guilt creeping up on her for not feeling rage at the injustice. After all, she knew how the Grand Master had manipulated Chase, promising him that he was born to be the Shoku warrior, and would be, so long as Chase obeyed every tiny order the Master tossed at him. Scraps for a dog, not fit for a prodigy of Chase's skills.

This blow was humiliating after all of the relentless dedication Chase had put into his training, and all of the times he had sacrificed his morals for the sake of keeping the Grand Master happy. Tala knew this, she even felt anger toward Grand Master Wei for it, but nothing could shake the warm glow that had settled into her chest when she looked at Dashi standing in the one place she always somehow knew he was meant to be.

"And now for the rest of you," Grand Master Wei's deep voice echoed loudly. He nodded to the Elders standing behind him. They took the folded silks they also held, two of them stepping forward. The two old masters bowed to Chase and Guan and presented their silks, but no one even so much as glanced at Tala.

She straightened herself, grim and unsurprised. No mistake had been made. She met the Grand Master's eyes. They twinkled knowingly, even delightedly, at her calculatedly calm stare.

He spoke, "My dear Apprentices, you are now Wudai Warriors. Wear these sashes with pride, for your bravery and sacrifice to protect our world from the forces of darkness have not gone unnoticed."

Tala felt Chase's eyes on her for a second, but when she looked at him, he was facing forward.

"And now, we shall-"

Tala stepped toward the center. Rage sprung into the Grand Master's eyes, surprise pouncing on him like a wolf, then melted like snow when she began to speak.

"Wait," she said, "You have forgotten me."

"No," snapped Master Young, "We haven't."

"Have I not met the requirements?" asked Tala, so eerily calm that it scared herself, "Was I not brave and courageous? Did I not sacrifice enough for the sake of defending the Temple?"

Something snapped inside of her, and Tala's mask broke. Invisible shards of it fell to the floor, her anger rising as more and more shattered. Teeth clenched, she asked, "Or was it that I didn't martyr myself and let my own magic kill me for your cause?"

"That is enough," growled Master Young, meeting her challenge with the baring of his own teeth.

"Not until I'm dead," Tala snapped, "Apparently that's the only worth a witch has, no matter whose side she's on."

"Oh shut up," said Master Young, "Be happy with your lot and work harder. Any given warrior in this Temple would die to stand where you are. Maybe some day your sub-par skills will be just enough to even brush your fingers against the Apprentice rank. We owe you nothing."

"Be still, Master Young," said Grand Master Wei, his black eyes smiling when he made eye contact with Tala again, relishing her anger, "The girl has every right to be upset. After everything that has happened, this blow is obviously a costly one for her."

"No," said Master Young, flicking his eyes over Tala with disgust, "She doesn't. Some advice for you, Trainee: no man becomes a Master through playing the victim. Make your own way in the world, and stop relying on others to do it for you."

He stormed off, his robes flapping like a crane taking flight. Master Young's footsteps were heard clacking against the jade as he walked through the shadows to the unseen doors beyond until they faded. The silence in the room was a very real pressure on Tala's shoulders as she stared at the blackness where Master Young had gone.

"He does have a point, you know," said Grand Master Wei, "Your lack of advancement was not because we overlooked your hand in the battle with Wuya, but because we could _not _overlook your lack of training."

"But that was-"

Grand Master Wei raised his palm. "Yes, yes, because of the creation of the Shen Gong Wu," he finished for her, "Even so, you were judged fairly and it was by our better conscience that you were not to advance to Apprentice rank until you become more competent in your martial arts skills."

Tala clenched her jaw against the taste of orange coating her tongue, fire blazing in her hands. She took a breath and eased herself down, the heat slowly beginning to subside.

"Very well," said Tala when she felt the danger pass. She bowed."Thank you, Grand Master."

Grand Master Wei nodded. "Very well, indeed," he said before turning his full attention toward all four of the Dragons. "Now we shall see just what fate has in store for the four of you, and quite the interesting team you've all made. May the spirits of Dragons past shower their favor upon each and every one of you. Go now in peace, and rest well."

Tala left with the others, struggling to swallow the lump at the base of her throat. Walking ahead of them, she shielded her eyes from the stinging sun, her only goal being an intense training exercise to begin playing the catch up she needed.

'_I never should have helped them_,' she thought, '_I should have just focused on my martial arts skills and kept my head down. The more I use my magic to do good, the more I'm demonized. I should have known they'd never let me_-'

Tala panicked, tears falling from her eyes, when she was grabbed by her elbow. She spun around. "I don't need a pep talk," Tala snapped when she met Chase's wide eyes, "Master Young is right. I just need to work harder."

"It wasn't right what they did," said Chase snidely, "I don't blame you for being angry. Honestly, I'm the only one who can understand how you're feeling right now. You know, seeing has how I was just robbed of my destiny and all."

Tala felt like lightning had just hit her chest, the guilt striking her to the quick. She dropped her eyes, blinking rapidly. "You're right," she admitted, swallowing down that pesky stone again, "I'm sorry."

Chase's smirk was wavering. "Those masters can be real jerks, can't they?" he joked, "Don't worry about what Dad said. He only ever sees what he wants to see, anyway."

Tala took a deep breath, deciding to get over herself for a moment. "Are you okay?" she asked, "You seem amazingly calm for someone who just had everything he worked for ripped from under him."

Chase shrugged. "The Grand Master likes to get a rise out of people. You can't let him see you're bothered by it."

"But he promised you-"

"It doesn't matter," Chase cut her off. The twinkle in his honey eyes looked genuinely hopeful, and the smirk on his face positively cheeky. Even his dimple showed in the far corner. "What matters is that you and I have each other's backs. Besides, becoming Shoku isn't really my destiny anymore."

Tala nearly had to swallow her tongue to keep from saying "Obviously," and instead asked, "Oh, and what is it now?"

Chase's smirk widened into a dazzling smile. With a wink he said, "We'll see."

* * *

It was on a bright and cheery afternoon that Chase decided to finally set his plan into motion. Losing the Shoku position to Dashi was a huge damper on his mood, but the anticipation of enacting this brilliant idea gave Chase something to look forward to. He had come up with the perfect scheme to get rid of Jia, the mere thought of never seeing that nosy cow again adding vigor to his steps.

Chase finally had enough of being looked down upon. The Grand Master drilled it into him from the time he was a child to be good, to follow orders, and to work hard at maintaining his prodigy status. 'The strongest and most promising monk to live in the Xiaolin Temple for the past five hundred years,' Chase had often heard from his slithering tongue, 'A Shoku warrior, bred and born.' Ha!

Chase had done everything the lying cheat had asked, that horrible old man making promise after promise if Chase obeyed as he strictly commanded, and look what that obedience had cost him! He blindly followed order after order that he did not agree with only for the Grand Master to spit on Chase's face like a worthless street mongrel instead of the esteemed prodigy Chase had always been told he was.

Everything Chase had put his identity in, gone! Given to somebody else! To Dashi, no less! What promise had _Dashi_ ever showed? What strength?! He was a mediocre fighter at best! The only thing that bald freak had going for him was creating the Shen Gong Wu, and only because Chase had been given a higher temporary position and could not fulfill both duties at once. It was insane!

But in a way, he was almost glad that he hadn't gotten the position. Chase had been groomed to be powerful, to be strong and courageous, to take up the mantle of Shoku warrior and lead his Dragons with benevolence. That hardly saved him any room to do exactly as he wanted. Now, with the freedom of the lower Wudai ranking, Chase no longer had to dance on his toes to be perfect. All eyes would be on Dashi instead.

Past the initial anger and betrayal, Chase realized that he no longer had to bow to the Grand Master and hope it granted him favor enough to fulfill his so-called destiny. Perhaps it never was. Chase _was_ the Crown, after all. Without having to worry about winning the Shoku position anymore, all of Chase's attention could gladly go to protecting and maintaining the prophecy, his true destiny and rightful birthright. And as a bonus, being a lesser Dragon meant that Chase could finally allow himself to let loose and have a little fun.

'_So,_' he decided with a smile of anticipation, '_why not start my fun with that worthless maid?_'

Walking among the flowers of the garden, the overpowering smell of narcissus giving him a headache, Chase passed several of the maids tending to the weeds. They each paused in their work as he walked by them, one or two hiding their gazes shyly and hurrying in their weeding when he made the point to look at them.

Jia suddenly came to mind. Fire flashed up Chase's back, wiping the smirk off of his face. Out of the hundreds of maids living at the Temple, she was the only one who did not blush or look down with a smile. Chase was quite sure that Jia would not be caught dead scurrying away from him in a fit of giggles like so many of the others. She saw more than just his pretty face, and that made her increasingly dangerous.

It was during Tala's first winter at the Temple that Jia had accused Chase of nearly having Tala killed. Though she had remained quiet about their interactions, Chase did not trust Jia, not with the way she glared at him dead on whenever their paths met. Jia became bolder each time he had seen her, holding her head up and keeping her eyes leveled with his as if she were another man. It wouldn't be until somebody else walked by their grudge matches that she would turn back into a submissive maid.

Those things Chase could get over quickly. No consequences came from them. Jia was almost laughable thinking a powerless woman like her could rattle him with her eyes. But what had happened before the battle with Wuya was the last straw. After years of quietly hating each other, Jia threatened him. She went to Tala and nearly ruined everything he was planning! And why? Because she was jealous of him?

Chase curled his fist and hit its flat side against the stone. He did not want to admit it, but he hated her. Jia had not succeeded in poisoning Tala against him, but Chase could still feel her eyes always watching, waiting for him to make a mistake and prove to Tala that he could not be trusted.

That was why he had called her out, today.

Right on cue, a voice full of suspicion called to Chase from the garden's entrance. "You had wanted to see me?"

"Yes."

Chase turned to Jia, meeting her eyes with mutual disgust. Beneath the shadow of the wisteria tree and against the backdrop of the flowers, Jia would have made a beautiful stranger with her pink lips and full figure. But this was Jia. This was the arrogant, self righteous woman that decided to firmly wedge herself between Chase and his destiny.

"I wanted to talk to you," Chase said, stitching a clever smile to his face.

"About Tala, I'm assuming," guessed the maid, her dark eyes glinting.

"You would assume correctly," Chase told her cheerfully, "Come, take a walk with me."

He offered her an arm, but Jia did not take it. She briskly walked ahead of Chase beneath the peach tree, stomping toward the walking path. Chase held back his smile, not wanting to give himself away, and followed.

The path was lined with fine pebbles, shrouded by flowering trees and bamboo. The wind lightly bounced off of Chase's back, tickling his shoulders with a friendly caress. It felt like it was cheering him on, in a way.

"Why have you suddenly taken interest in me, _Honored Apprentice_?" asked Jia when Chase had caught up to her, "I hardly thought you trusted me with Tala at all. She left perfectly healthy from the medicine room only a couple of weeks ago. Don't tell me she needs more medical attention."

"Oh no," said Chase, keeping his eyes ahead, "Tala's perfectly fine. But there is something I need to talk to you about."

"Yes?"

"She misses you."

Jia stopped short, nearly tripping over herself. Chase smiled, keeping his pace slow and deliberate.

"It's no secret that you and I dislike each other," said Chase as they continued on, "but Tala loves you dearly. Whatever you may feel for me should not stand in the way of her seeing you. Even though the others and I _are_ her friends, as men there is only so much that we can relate to. But as a fellow woman, you understand Tala just a little bit better than I can."

Jia stayed silent for once, and Chase's heart quickened. He fought himself to keep from speeding up, his legs stiffening. A few more steps and the pair would be directly behind Master Young's suite.

"She's mentioned to me," said Chase, smoothing out the smile trying to spread across his face, "that the two of you don't talk anymore. I can hardly blame her. It's been rough on Tala lately. She's been catching up on her training and recovering from that Shen Gong Wu fiasco, and you, well, I'm sure _you_ have your own duties to attend to."

"It sounds as though you are blaming me," said Jia. Chase could hear the anger just barely being concealed in her voice, "for my and Tala's lack of communication."

"She's your friend, isn't she?" asked Chase, chuckling at the fact that he could feel the heat of her hatred radiating between them, "You hardly even acknowledged her while she was resting at the medicine room. Besides, our training schedule is strict and Tala has little time to relax. As a maid she had time enough to spy on _me_, so I gathered that you'd be the same."

Jia again said nothing. That was fine. Whether she would decide to retort wouldn't matter very soon, anyway.

Chase knew that his father liked to keep the doors and windows of his suite open in the summer so that wind could circulate throughout the apartment. He also knew that Master Young was fond of painting, and often left his brushes on the windowsills to dry after cleaning them.

The Master's favorite set, and the brushes he often used, had handles carved from ivory and jade. These brushes had been a gift to him from the Grand Master himself, and were very expensive. Just one of those brushes could be enough to barter one's way to the south, and if Chase was sure to play this off right, he would have what he needed to be rid of Jia once and for all.

They were around the bend now, and Master Young's suite came into view. Just as Chase had suspected, the window where his father often worked was open, and upon it rested the jade and ivory brushes. Each had been lined in a row neatly from largest to smallest, resting upon a black brush smock and tied together by a thin strip of leather.

Chase made sure to keep Jia steered toward the suite, and now was his opportunity to use his guiding of her to his advantage. As they passed the low cill, Chase poked his foot out ever-so-slightly. Jia tripped and fell forward, knocking the brushes down with her shoulder onto the path. The fine pebbles sprayed like water when the brushes landed. The loosely tied smock unfolded, setting the brushes free to scatter across the road.

"Oh my," sneered Chase, smirking, "How clumsy of you."

Jia scrambled to pick the brushes up as Chase watched her, careful not to give away just how much he was enjoying this. He waited until only one was left, luckily the smallest of the set, and bent to pick it up from behind Jia while she was still distracted. Chase quickly tucked it into his sleeve before Jia stood up and turned around to glare at him.

"My mistake, Honored Apprentice," she seethed, "Please forgive me for my lack of awareness."

"All is forgiven," Chase clipped, "I hardly blame you for your obliviousness. You were trained to cook and clean, not to be vigilant. Now, place those back on the windowsill as they were and let us continue our conversation. It's a beautiful day. Such a shame to waste it by focusing on our mistakes."

"Yes, sir."

"Shall we take our route back to the kitchens?" he asked.

"I'm going to be honest," said Jia, looking forward as they walked, "I don't trust you and I don't believe Tala should either."

"That's rather forward, don't you think?"

Jia paused, only able to release her trapped words with the nod of her head. "Yes," she admitted, "but I was about to say that in spite of how I may feel about you- how suspicious you are, speaking at night to yourself in harsh whispers like a madman, and looking at Tala like some tiger that has stumbled upon a wounded fox, I want to thank you for all that you've done for her too."

Chase was taken aback, but only for a second, his confusion melting into a confident smile that would normally make any other girl swoon. Jia's eyes held no interest in his smile, but Chase gave his charming performance anyway. "Really," he said, "You're welcome. I'm pleased to see that you're finally recognizing it."

"It's obvious that you care about her," said Jia coldly, "In your own… eccentric way. And you've kept her company. Even this, taking me for a walk when it's the last thing either of us want, is all for her. She seems much happier among the Dragons than she ever had as a maid, and for that I am thankful. So, thank you for looking after Tala for me."

"I promise you, Jia," said Chase, smiling, "I do everything within my power to protect Tala. I neutralize threats when I see them. It's the reason her secret had been so carefully hidden until she outed herself. I am her guardian, after all. Be rest assured, nothing will ever keep me from protecting Tala from those that could potentially harm her."

Little did this silly maid know, smiling up at him with what she probably assumed was mutual respect, that she was one of those threats. Chase was one step closer to destroying her. Jia had unforgivably attempted to steer Tala away from her birthright and Chase's second chance at his destiny. Because of that, she needed to be gone.

* * *

"So you didn't get it, huh?"

Chase was too busy thinking about how to move forward with his plans about Jia to really pay attention to Hannibal Bean as it spoke. Twirling the stolen paint brush between his fingers, Chase sighed.

"Oh, don't be so glum, son," said the bean, its accent as rich and warm as porridge, "At least now you can completely focus on the prophecy, right? Which reminds me. You still haven't given me an answer on that thing you promised to do for me."

"Go away, Hannibal," snapped Chase, "I'm thinking."

"Hmph," said the bean, "Sulking's more like it."

"Whatever."

"Oh come on, Chase, talk to me about it. You don't have to be afraid about sharing your feelings with me," Hannibal told him, "How _did_ it feel seeing Dashi wear that robe instead of you?"

"Angry," growled Chase, smashing the horsehair tip of the brush with his thumb, "How else?"

"Makes you want to get revenge, don't it?" chucked the bean, "Makes you want to act out."

Chase shrugged.

"Why else did you steal from your own father?" asked Hannibal, "After all, you had to take your aggressions out on _somebody_. It was smart of you to start small. Setting up one insignificant maid, 'dodging the eye of the hawk,' so-to-speak, is a brilliant way to begin your evil career."

"I'm not evil," Chase snapped, "Stop trying to convince me I am."

"Not yet," teased Hannibal with an arched, hairless eyebrow, maggot-ridden smile leering up at him, "but very soon, which means you'll be ready to pay me back that little favor. Admit it, Chase, you've taken this Crown thing to heart. And I'm willing to bet that you're just dying to spread a little chaos, just like the prophecy foretells."

"You're wrong."

"And yet," jabbed the bean, "here you are, holding a stolen paint brush. Just what are you planning to do with it, Chase? Hmm? Go on, tell old Hannibal."

Chase grumbled under his breath.

Hannibal held a curved tentacle to the side of its head. "What was that?" it teased, " Speak up."

"I'm getting that maid kicked out of the Temple," Chase admitted, his cheeks stinging, "But only as a counter attack before she ruins my reputation with Tala for good. I'm defending myself. That doesn't make me evil."

The bean pursed its lips. "Mmmnhm."

Chase looked at the brush, gently rubbing his thumb over the boxy jade center. "I can't afford to lose," he said, "Grand Master Wei has already given away one destiny, and I can't just sit back and watch as Jia destroys the other. My father always says that we don't just stumbled upon our life-paths. They're self-forged."

With a sigh, Chase made his decision. "I'm blazing my own path now," he said, "and this time I won't let anyone take it away from me."

"That's all well and good," said the bean, "and I'd hate to ruin your little epiphany of self-discovery, but did you stop to think about why the Grand Master didn't give you what you deserve?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Of course it does!" said Hannibal, all slime and smiles, "In fact, you weren't the only one cheated, now were you? Don't you want to know why?"

"Tala's martial art skills are drastically lacking," Chase explained, "They had no choice but to keep her at Trainee level."

"And who's fault is that?" jibed Hannibal, "Weren't they the ones who ordered Tala to give up her training in order to help Dashi create these Shen Gong Wu? Why hadn't they made _Dashi_ give up his training if they wanted him to make those weapons so bad? And you! What exactly have you done for the Grand Master to excuse such an insult? Didn't he promise you that position? Didn't he groom you specifically for becoming the Shoku warrior?"

Something sparked in Chase's brain. "Yeah…"

"He treated you poorly," added Hannibal, "and threatened your chickadee's life to keep the both of you in line. You and Tala did exactly as that man always asked of you, and yet here you both are, embarrassed and with absolutely nothing to show for all of your dedicated hard work!"

Heat flashed throughout Chase's entire body, clenching his muscles so violently that Chase could hardly breathe. "Yeah."

"So the question is," said the bean, "What _exactly_ were the Masters trying to prove to the two of you by doing this?"

"I don't know," Chase growled, getting an idea, "but I'm going to go find out."

* * *

The door to Master Young's suite burst open, running his perfectly quiet afternoon tea. Master Young felt no need to turn around. He was used to this same type of interruption for seventeen years. Master Young took the tea cup from his lips and put it back down on the tray, savoring the taste of jasmine a few seconds longer before acknowledging his son still standing in the doorway.

"Darling," he said, "What are you doing barging into my suite? You could have just knocked. You aren't a child anymore. There is some etiquette that is expected of men."

"Don't 'darling' me, Dad!" Chase spat, "What happened in there? I demand answers!"

"I'm assuming by 'in there,' " said Master Young, turning around to face Chase, "you mean the Council Room. I know you're upset about not being granted the Shoku position, and that is completely understandable, but-"

"You stormed out like a child," Chase snapped, "You have no right to belittle me like that! Stop looking at me as your son for a second and actually talk to me like an adult."

Master Young tensed, but stayed calm, looking at Chase's flushed cheeks and heavy breathing and seeing him as anything but an adult. He scoffed, and began to rearrange some of the scrolls on his desk to his left. The parchment felt delicate to his fingers, one of the scrolls in particular had some wrinkles at its face. Master Young picked it up and held it, still neatly rolled up, in his hands.

"I have no idea where you get that anger from," he said quietly, looking at Chase with a small smile, "You have an uncle in the south who-"

"I get it from you," Chase snapped, "That was made clear in the Council Room. I can't believe you yelled at Tala like that. What is your problem with her?"

"She is a dangerous witch."

"She's a good person!"

Master Young closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose, and took a deep breath. "Okay," he sighed before sternly looking at his son. "There is something I need you to understand, son."

Master Young began to play with the scroll in his hand, lightly tapping it against the flat of his palm in slow beats, counting them between his thoughts, and began to pace, his footfalls in time with the counting.

"That girl has been nothing but trouble since day one," Master Young said as he walked past his son, watching Chase, and Chase glaring at him. "Tala has nearly killed you, nearly gotten all of us killed, on several occasions due to her lack of restraint and greed for magic, and yet you _still _think that witch-brat has any shred of good inside of her? Really? What we did by holding her back in rank was a service to the world. We cannot allow Tala Bao to get any stronger than she already is."

"It's not her fault," Chase growled, "You're just bitter and angry that a _child _possessed the power that you could never have! I should know! I was at that place when I met her at first, too. Hell, we all were! Some maid had magic while the Xiaolin Dragons didn't, then she became one of us! How else were you supposed to react? How else was _any_ of us supposed to react?"

"Don't you dare accuse me of jealousy, boy!" Master Young bellowed, "I'm not so petty as that. Do you want to know the truth? The truth is she nearly killed you when I first met her! And from the looks of it, she keeps trying. Tell me, does that sound like a noble warrior to you?!"

"Tala's good!" Chase argued, "Magic is dangerous and difficult to control. She's worked extremely hard to maintain it, but she's been developing new abilities every day! Look at the Shen Gong Wu! Look at what happened with Wuya! Tala knew the risks of helping Dashi to make them, and yet she still allowed herself to almost die in order to protect the Temple! That's not what a witch would do, Dad! Witches are selfish. Does nearly giving up her life sound selfish to you?!"

"Try to understand Chase," sighed Master Young, patting Chase's shoulder, "You are my only son, my only family. I've nearly lost you too many times because of her to believe that the decisions I've made concerning the rankings were wrong. Everything I've done concerning Tala Bao has been to protect y-"

Chase shoved Master Young, pinning him to the wall by his neck. Master young struggled to breathe, water stinging his eyes and blood rushing to his face. He clawed at Chase's hands but his son kept up the pressure.

"This has never been about me," Chase hissed.

Tears dripped from Master Young's eyes, heartbreak mingling with panic and he weakly clawed and silently begged.

"Why didn't you stand up for me against Grand Master Wei all these years?" Chase demanded, "If you really wanted to protect me, why?!"

Master Young tired to shake his head, tell Chase that he was sorry, but Chase pressed harder, his face burning red, and amber eyes glossing from held back tears. "Do you know how afraid of him I was, Dad? Did you? You saw! I know you did! But you didn't care. You just kept pushing me and pushing me to be the best! Nothing mattered so long as your _prodigy_ of a son outranked everybody else!"

Master Young shook with sobs that could not escape. He pushed Chase away roughly, taking a gasp of air when Chase finally let go of his neck. Master Young doubled over, crying while catching his breath.

"Why are you crying?" Chase yelled, "What kind of master are you? Stand up and defend yourself!"

"I won't raise a hand to you, darling, I won't," Master Young swore, "I never wanted to hurt you. I never will."

"Liar!" cried Chase, "You knew what Grand Master Wei was doing and you did nothing! He made sure that I never felt good enough about myself to be my own person! He made me feel like I was nothing! My whole life revolved around his orders, and I had no choice but to follow them or risk being ostracized!"

"I thought you wanted to be stronger, Chase," explained Master Young, voice shaking, "Grand Master Wei assured me that you were driven, that you were more than capable of going beyond any boy your age. He told me that you had the potential to make Master rank by the age of twenty if I could keep you from getting distracted… I- I thought that was what you wanted."

"I wanted to be a kid!" Chase hissed, "I wanted to have fun and play with my friends! I wanted to joke around and laugh and grow with them. Instead it was all training, training, training."

"I never," Master Young swallowed, "I didn't mean for-"

"'Widen your stance, Chase,' 'You could do better, Chase,' 'Not good enough, Chase!'" his son ranted, "Not ONCE did you ever praise me! No once have I ever felt like your son! I was just another student to mold into the perfect little soldier, wasn't I?!"

Master Young's chin quivered with all of the words he wanted to say trying to push themselves out all at once. He crumpled and began to weep. "I'm so sorry, my son," he whispered, "I'm sorry."

He grabbed Chase and smashed him into his chest, hugging him as tightly as he could. Chase clutched at Master Young's back and broke down into sobs. Chase shook violently as he cried into his father's shoulder.

Master Young wondered as he held his son, '_How could I have let this happen_?'

He held Chase at arms-length, and with a sigh told him, "There is something I must tell you."

Chase dried his face and nodded. Master Young smiled at the reminder of how sweet and innocent his boy used to be, and wished more than anything to return to the past when times were far simpler. "The prophecy that Tala found in her room, the one that was forbidden," said Master Young, "Do you remember it?"

"Yes," said Chase, his throat bobbing.

"Grand Master Wei has kept it a secret for as long as I've known him, and I'm unsure if he knows that I know, but I believe he's been hunting for those two warriors himself."

"And you think that he thinks I'm one of them," said Chase, looking very, very tired, "don't you?"

Master Young sighed and bent to pick up the scroll he had dropped in the struggle. Presenting it to Chase, he said, "Here. Take it."

Chase opened the scroll and his eyes widened while he read the prophecy.

"You are the most talented warrior this Temple has seen in a very long time, Chase," explained Master Young, "When we were making our decision for Shoku, Grand Master Wei told me that he had something else in mind for you. That's when I took this from his library. I'm afraid that…"

"Dad," whispered Chase, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was planning to, once I realized," answered Master Young, "I just needed to find the right way to tell you."

He gave a rueful smile. "Well, you attacking me must make a good a time as any."

Chase looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, Dad."

"No, I'm sorry," said Master Young, "I should have been paying closer attention to Grand Master Wei. I should have seen that he was lying. You are my _son_, Chase. I love you. I should never have allowed for you to believe otherwise."

"What are we going to do?"

"Keep this quiet for now," instructed Master Young, "Grand Master Wei cannot know that you know. He must still have the illusion of control, do you understand? I've seen the Grand Master at his most desperate before and do not wish for you to have to as well."

"What about Tala?"

Master Young blanched. '_That girl, again? Honestly?_'

Master Young cleared his throat. "The wi- Tala, will be fine. She fits the darker half of the prophecy, being born of Heylin blood, and I've noticed his interest in her, but I wouldn't be so sure as to think she is in any immediate danger. No, we must keep this to ourselves."

"I have a confession to make," sighed Chase.

Master Young smiled. "Alright," he said, "I'm listening."

"I'm in love with her."

Master Young's smile tightened. "Oh?"

"I want to ask Tala to marry me."

"I forbid it."

"What?"

"You can't," said Master Young simply, "I forbid it."

Chase sighed. "Gee, Dad, you really had me going there," said Chase, "Nearly had me thinking that you really cared about me and what I want."

"Chase,"

"No, no," snapped Chase, saluting him as he went for the door, "I'll see myself out. Thanks for the scroll."

"She's dangerous, son," insisted Master Young, "Please listen to me. Tala Bao is not-"

"Tala is a wonderful person," Chase growled, "Maybe you'd see that if you gave her a chance."

"This is what Grand Master Wei wants! He wants the two of you together to complete the prophecy!" Master Young cried, but Chase had already slammed the door and was gone.


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

_Twenty Six__ Doubt

Tala opened her eyes as Chase approached her. She quieted her chi, rounding out the invisible ball between her hands. Tala watched him approach with narrowed eyes as she closed her stance.

"Your balance was off," said Chase, smiling, "Your left foot should be out, not the right. Also, your chest wasn't center."

"Thanks," Tala bit, rolling into the next stance, "I'll keep that in mind."

Chase joined her and the two _Push-and-Pulled the Water _together.

"You know," said Chase as they moved in harmony, "Not advancing isn't the worst thing in the world."

"Says the Wudai warrior," said Tala.

Chase laughed. "That's true," he said, "Sorry for being insensitive. Just so you know, I brought something that will cheer you up."

Chase gestured to sit. Tala leaned back on her arms, pebbles and dust dimpling the heels of her palms. "Please tell me it's sweet buns and honey," she said with a sigh.

"Even better," said Chase pulling something from his shirt.

Tala gasped, covering her wide mouth with her hands. They shook when she took the scroll from him. "How did you get this? It was supposed to be burned!"

Chase smiled while Tala unrolled it, reading the prophecy over again. She read it twice and a third time. "I can't believe you found this," she whispered.

"I've been thinking," said Chase, his eyes brightening. Their honey color reflected the sun with flecks of brown and gold. "You know how the Crown and Pearl are supposed to be opposites, right? Born on the wrong side?"

"The Crown is born good but meant for evil and the Pearl is born to darkness but meant for the light, yes," said Tala, "It's all said right here in the prophecy. That's nothing new."

Chase leaned in a little closer, his smile widening. Tala leaned back to keep his face from blurring in front of her nose. "What?"

"You're the Pearl," he said, "and I'm the Crown."

Tala stared at Chase for half a second. "No," she clipped.

Chase grabbed Tala's hands, too strong for her to pull them away. "Look, I know it's hard to believe," he said, "But I really think it's true. The signs are all there! You were born with Heylin blood, but you are destined to become a Xiaolin Dragon, the epitome of all that is good and light in the world."

Tala shook her head. "You're starting to sound like Wuya," she said, stomach dropping.

"Here me out," said Chase, "Think about it, Tal: I was born to the Xiaolin, trained to become the leader of the Dragons, but I'm not, now am I? I just lost my destiny. Judging by what happened to you, how do you think this is going to play out?"

"You're not evil," Tala assured him gently, but his eyes shone with such vigor that it was starting to scare her.

"I don't have to be," Chase answered, "I just have to fulfill my half of the prophecy to come into _my_ birthright. You're already there. And when I do, we can stop the war between Heylin and Xiaolin, and make this right. We can fix things, Tala. We can make it so that you don't have to fear for your life anymore over every little slip-up. Don't you want that?"

"I'm not the Pearl, Chase," Tala choked, her eyes blurring. She took her hands back. "And you are most certainly not the Crown."

Chase's smile was gone when Tala stood up, wrapping her arms around herself.

"I'm done talking about this," she said, walking away, "I have to keep training if I ever want to get out of Trainee rank."

Chase grabbed her arm, violently yanking Tala back. "This is more important than you rank, Tala!" Chase shouted, "This is our destiny!"

Tala spun around, smacking him. "Let me go!"

Chase stood there, eyes wide enough for Tala to see herself reflected back in their sad sheen. His cheek was red where she had hit him, and his hand still hung in the air where Tala had freed herself. "This is our destiny," he repeated quietly.

Tala flicked her eyes over him. "I'm sorry," she said, turning to leave again, "but you know the Grand Master told us to avoid the prophecy for a reason. We're done talking."

"This isn't like you," Chase growled, "Since when have you ever cared about what the Grand Master says?"

An unexpected flash of anger spun her around. "You know why!" Tala shouted, "You may have lost your precious Shoku position, but my life is still in danger! You saw how he reacted when I gave him that scroll! If I so much as even breathe another word about that prophecy, and the Grand Master catches wind of it, I'll be burned! Don't you understand?! I _can't _be the Pearl!"

Chase smiled but the gleam in his eyes was unnerving. "Don't worry," he said, "I'll protect you."

"I'm not quite sure if that's a promise or a threat."

Chase was serious again. "I mean it," he said, "I'll never let those bastards touch you."

Tala's voice shook. "I know. That's what frightens me."

Tala shook her head. "You're different, Chase," she told him, her voice thick enough to hardly understand herself, "You've been acting so strangely. Reckless. Jia told me-"

"Jia?" Chase's laugh was a bark, "That nosy cow knows nothing. What she needs to do is mind her own business."

"She said that you were talking to yourself," Tala accused.

Chase scoffed.

"Something's going on," insisted Tala, "I don't know what, but I think the prophecy is driving you crazy. Grand Master Wei warned us about what happened to my predecessor for trying to fulfill the prophecy, and I think the same thing is happening to you."

"It's not," Chase snapped.

"Then why are you acting like this?" asked Tala, exasperated, "Please, just tell me what is going on!"

"I'm not going to turn out like your predecessor," Chase insisted, "You want to know why? Do you want to know how I know?"

He stepped closer, emphasizing his point with a jab of his finger. "Because I'm _right_," he hissed, "Because I am the Crown, and you are the Pearl. Your predecessor went mad trying to find them because you and I weren't born yet. It's _us_, Tala. We are the only two people in this world that make sense. You're just too blinded by your own fear to see that."

"Of course I'm afraid!" shouted Tala, "What do you think? Chase, we are not the prophetic warriors. That stupid poem has just gotten to your head! Think this through."

"I _have_ thought this through," said Chase, "and I know you have too. You know we're the Crown and Pearl. Deep inside yourself, you can feel it. I can too. It's how I know."

Tala shook her head, throat bubbling. "No."

Chase held up his hands, cooing to her like he would a spooked horse. "I know you're scared," he murmured, "But it will be okay. I just have to do one bad thing, make people think I'm evil so I can fulfill my half of the prophecy, then everything will be fixed. I won't let anything hurt you."

"That's not how it works, Chase," Tala hissed, "Evil- it's not just something you do once and you're done. It's something you become."

Chase pushed past her, walking away. "Whatever, Tala. You'll see."

"It eats away at you until there's nothing left!" Tala called after him, "I almost lost to the darkness once, too. Look at what Wuya almost did to me! I tried to kill her with my bare hands! I almost killed an innocent boy! That's what evil looks like!"

"You couldn't help that," Chase snapped.

"Yes I could have!"

"Your magic was out of your control," Chase hissed, "You're a witch. There are some things in your nature that you just can't stop. That doesn't make you evil."

"Damn it, Chase-"

"I'm fully human," Chase assured her, "I'm more balanced than you. I can handle the temptation."

Tala shook her head. "You really believe that you can do this without consequence," she whispered, eyes wide, "You really think you can outrun it."

Chase shook his head with a chuckle, and started walking again.

"You think you're immune, but you're not, Chase!" Tala hollered, "You aren't immune to the darkness, and you are _not_ the _Crown_!"

Chase waved her off, not looking back.

* * *

Jia smiled, surveying her handywork with a content sigh. Her sleeping space in the kitchen was finally spotless. The only place left to clean was her unmade sleeping mat, the sheets still crumpled and draped across the edge of it.

Jia grabbed the sheet, but a loud ruckus just outside the door startled her. The banging grew louder, accompanied by men's voices. The door to the kitchen swung open and in sauntered two large guards, overcasting her with their shadows. Jia looked up at them, her heart pounding.

One of the guards reached down and grabbed Jia, her whole forearm swallowed up by his meaty hand. She knew better not to struggled, and avoided their eyes, clinging tightly to the sheet with her free hand. The other guard turned and called out, "She is still in here, sir."

Jia's fear evaporated into anger when she recognized the voice behind them saying, "Good. Arrest her."

Jia matched Chase's leering grin with a glower, clenching her jaw. She tried to lunge for him, but the other guard snatched her free arm, stopping Jia short. She lost her balance in the air, swinging like a small child.

"Ah, ah, ah~" Chase sang, "You should know better not to make this worse for yourself, _thief_."

"I didn't steal anything," Jia growled through her teeth.

Chase knelt at the head of her sleeping mat and pulled something out from beneath her pillow. "Then what's this?" he asked, pinching a small ivory paint brush between his fingers. "This is quite the expensive trinket you have. The jade stone inside of it itself is worth more than enough to barter your way to the Southern border."

Jia's stomach dropped. Eyes wide, she shook her head.

With a slight smile and a wicked gleam in his eye, Chase teased, "Were you planning on running away?"

Jia began to tremble. "I don't know how that got there, Honored Apprentice, I swear," she whispered.

Chase dropped the smile fast, hostility darkening the sunlight of his eyes. "I'm a Wudai warrior, now," he spat, "and I have an idea."

"I didn't take it," Jia insisted.

Chase met her eyes, and she saw death in them. He stood, motioning to the guards. "Let's go," he hissed, "We should make an example of her. Show the rest of these peons what happens to thieves."

* * *

"Out of my way!"

Tala shoved at the people in her path, Dashi and Guan close behind her. "Move!" she shouted, making her way toward the front, "Let me through!"

Tala nearly fell through the air when she finally pushed herself out of the crowd. Dashi caught her wrist so that Tala wouldn't fall, a kindness she repaid with a quick glance back at him with wide eyes. Her braid whipped around her shoulder when she turned to see Jia kneeling in the center of the courtyard, her forehead in the dirt. Tala shook off Dashi's hand. "Jia," she whispered, swallowing.

In front of Jia stood both the Grand Master and Master Young. Surrounding them was the crowd, shouting profanities at Jia, some even throwing food and rocks. Jia flinched as a rotten piece of fruit splattered at her back, and covered her head as best as she could with tied hands when a rock flew over her head.

"Jia Tso," said Grand Master Wei, "You have been accused of stealing from an esteemed master. Do you have anything to say?"

Jia pursed her lips and shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. Tears made a trail down her dirty face. Tala tensed when she noticed the blood smeared on her friend's lower lip, and she searched the crowd for who might have caused it. Too many people were screaming and throwing things for her to tell, but Tala decided to step out, anyway.

Guan stopped her, holding Tala's arm back. "Let me go to her," Tala hissed at him, but Guan shook his head, holding a finger to his lips.

Dashi placed a hand on her shoulder, meeting Tala's eyes with sympathy. "_Don't go_," he mouthed, squeezing her shoulder.

Tala looked away from him and back at Jia, throat tightening. '_Please let her be alright,_' she begged silently to whatever higher powers could possibly be listening, '_Don't let them hurt my friend_.'

"Get her up," snapped Master Young to a guard standing nearby.

The guard, three times Jia's size, lifted her easily, almost gently. He steadied Jia with both giant hands on her shoulders, forcing Jia's head up to look the masters in their eyes. Tala swallowed her gasp at how easily he could have snapped the maid's neck, and prayed that would not be the punishment.

"This woman," the Grand Master addressed the crowd, "is guilty of theft and disobedience in accordance to her masters. The punishment for these crimes is banishment from the Xiaolin Temple. To all of you, let this be a lesson. We do not tolerate such disrespect, and will not hesitate to seek immediate action."

He nodded to the guard, and Jia was shoved into the direction of the high, red doors. Dashi and Guan could not stop Tala this time. She dashed out of the crowd. "Jia!"

Jia looked back. "Tala!" she cried, uselessly struggling against the guard. Jia lunged her tied arms out, her fingers just barely locking with Tala's.

Another guard grabbed Tala's wrist and began to pull her away. "No!" Tala yelled at him, looking between the guard that held her and Jia. "NO!"

Jia was crying. "Don't let them do this, Tala," she begged, struggling to keep her hold on Tala's fingers, "Don't let them take me!"

Tala hollered back at the Grand Master, "Stop this! Stop this, now!"

The Grand Master watched her silently, his hands folded into the sleeves of his robes.

"Stop this!" she screeched, but Grand Master Wei did nothing, looking at her intensely, goading Tala on.

The guard that held Tala was not strong enough to pull her away. Tala used all of her supernatural strength to keep herself and Jia standing where they were as the men tried to tear them apart. It was the rain that did them in, causing their fingers to slip. Before the guard that pulled at Jia could yank her free, Jia snatched Tala's sleeve.

With wide eyes, she said to Tala, "Don't trust Chase Young."

Then she let go and allowed the guard to drag her away, Tala screaming after her as the other guard held her back by both arms. The thunder drowned out Tala's voice as she cried over and over again for Jia until the doors slammed shut, Jia disappearing behind them.

Tala shook, her whole body rigid as the Grand Master came to her, his face grim. He waved the guard away with the flick of his fingers, staring at the doors. Tala fought not to drop to her knees, willing Jia back. But Jia did not appear. Just the rain, falling harder and harder the more Tala wished for her friend to return to her.

"I know this is a shock," said Grand Master Wei, his voice rich and deep, "but _all_ justice must be carried out accordingly, even when it comes to a trusted friend. As a Xiaolin Dragon, you'll need to learn this. There is no room for selfishness when the good of the whole Temple is at stake."

Tala swallowed, blinking away her tears rapidly, waiting for Jia to come back. "There is a witch out there," she whispered.

"There is one in here, too."

Tala felt too empty to take insult. Her chin quivered. "You've just condemned an innocent to the mercy of a monster."

Grand Master Wei's smile was subtle, seen most in the glinting of his black eyes. "Have I?"

He walked away, but Tala felt another pair of eyes on her. As the crowd dispersed, Tala turned to meet Chase's deep gaze watching her from beneath the safety on an awning. He was lounged against a wooden pole, smiling at her.

Jia's words echoed in Tala's head, a shudder raking up her back as she watched him walk into one of the alley ways, done with the show like all the rest. She repeated out loud to herself, letting a few tears fall with the rain, "Don't trust Chase Young."


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

_Twenty Seven__ A Pebble In Hand

Tala lay on Dashi's mat, holding the Eye of Dashi over her head. She turned it, the ruby center catching the sunlight from the window. Dashi was busy rifling through the scrolls on his desk, mumbling to himself about some lost design.

Tala squinted as the ruby's gleam stung her eyes, losing her grip on the Wu. Dashi caught it before it smacked her face, kneeling over her with a smile. "You of all people should know not to play with this like it's a toy," he teased, holding the Eye of Dashi just above the tip of Tala's nose.

He snatched it away and leaned just a tiny bit closer to her, grinning playfully. Tala covered her face and pushed his away, desperate to hide her blush, and rolled over to sit up, growling, "Don't do that."

Dashi chuckled.

"I mean it," Tala insisted, pushing herself off of the mat, "It's rude."

She pretended to sort through the design scrolls, her face hotter than her hands when they reacted to magic. "Which scroll were you looking for, again?"

She felt Dashi's body heat behind her, and his arm snaked around to pluck the one she was touching. "This one," she heard him say.

"Ever hear of personal space?" Tala grumbled, letting him take it. She curled her hand, hoping he hadn't seen it shaking.

"Only once or twice," Dashi joked, unrolling the scroll, "We're more like passing acquaintances." His eyes were narrowed with focus as he looked it over a bit longer than he should have.

"That's not the one, is it?" Tala clipped with a grin, folding her arms and leaning her back against the desk.

Dashi bit his lower lip, still looking at the unrolled scroll.

"You aren't going to admit you're wrong, are you?" Tala teased him.

Dashi turned the scroll upside down, and Tala swore that she could see his ears reddening.

"Oh for Heaven's sake," Tala snapped, snatching the scroll from him, "Let me see it."

Dashi looked at Tala, horrified, his arms hanging in the air as he stared at her.

"Now, what in the world has gotten into y-"

Tala's eyes widened as she realized what was on it. A sketch of her. There were several, actually. Some with her hair down, some with a single braid, laughing, smiling, staring off into thoughtfulness. All of the sketches were perfectly detailed in charcoal, compiled together in random ways as if Dashi had been trying to fill the entire thing with her likeness. At the edge of the corner, made obvious that no room had been left but for this one small thing, the design of a ring, the stone in the middle painted in watery red.

Tala looked up at Dashi, her mouth open.

"This looks bad," Dashi squeaked, "but I can explain. I-"

Tala was out the door before she could hear the rest.

"Tala, wait!" she heard him call after her, but she ran faster, determined to get back to the safety of her own apartment, tears stealing her vision away. Tala tripped, twisting and facing Dashi right as he caught her wrist before she fell through the open door.

Once Tala regained her balance, she pushed Dashi away and stumbled back into the sunlight. "No!" she snapped, pointing a finger at him, "Don't come any closer!"

Dashi reached out to her, but Tala pointed at him again, glaring. Dashi stepped back, looking at Tala like a lost child in the shadow of the doorway.

"What is the matter with you, huh?" Tala shouted, "_Ba é sin an rud Uafásach a dhéanamh_! Did you think it was funny? Did you?!"

"No!" Dashi cried, "Tala, that wasn't- You were never meant to see that, I swear!"

"How could you?" Tala hissed, choking back the sob struggling to escape, "I just lost my best friend, and you play this trick on me?! _Conas is féidir leat é seo a dom?_! Tell me, how long did it take you to plan all this out? How fast did you draw those?!"

"It wasn't a joke!"

Tala shook her head, gnashing her teeth. "I can't believe this," she seethed, "I was so stupid! _Amadán_!"

Tala couldn't hold it in anymore and began to cry, uselessly wiping away the steady stream of tears. Her face crumpled and she looked away from Dashi, her heart nearly stopping with rage. "I can't believe," she choked, laughing at her own stupidity and hopelessness, "How did you know?"

"Know what?"

Tala looked at him, chin quivering against her attempt to grin. "That I'm in love with you."

Dashi looked so stunned that he might have dropped dead on the spot at any second. They didn't say anything for a good while, the only sound between them being Tala's sniffling, much to her embarrassment.

Finally, Dashi choked out, "What?"

"Oh, come on," Tala snapped, gesturing, "Yeah, like I haven't been obvious about it."

Her eyes were a red, salty haze, but Tala could have sworn he shook his head slightly. "You haven't, actually."

Tala snapped her mouth shut. Dashi grinned, stepping off of his porch. "At least, not from where I was standing."

Tala backed up when he came close, averting her eyes. "I-I'm a mess," she stammered, scoffing at herself for blushing.

Dashi closed the distance between them and touched Tala's cheek. Tala flinched.

"You really thought I wanted to hurt you?" he asked, "What did I do to make you think that?"

"I thought you hated me a little," Tala admitted, "Stick in the mud, and all. I know I'm not very fun, and you joke around a lot, and-"

Dashi kissed Tala's forehead and wrapped her in a hug. Tala stiffened, not knowing what to do. She thought her head might explode with how fast the heat rushed to her face and neck.

"I would never do that," Dashi whispered into her ear.

Tala shivered at how his breath tickled her. Her heart thundered against her chest. "Then why would-"

Dashi let go and knelt before Tala. "This wasn't how I was expecting to do this, just so you know," he said, digging through his pocket, "I can't believe you saw that. It ruined my plan."

"What plan?"

Dashi held the ring that had been sketched between his thumb and forefinger. It was an exact replica of the sketch, down to the tiniest detail, even the intricate swirls carved into it, spiraling from around the ruby and weaving around the band.

"It's not completely finished, but," said Dashi sheepishly, "surprise."

His smile dropped when Tala only stared at it.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" he asked, face redder than a tomato, "Did I- Did I do this wrong?"

Tala arched an eyebrow, wondering with a confused smirk whether it was too late to back out and run.

"Oh," Dashi laughed, smacking his forehead, "duh. Forgot to ask. Getting ahead of myself, don't mind me."

Dashi took Tala's hand and gazed into her eyes. "Tala Bao," he said, clearing his throat, "will you marry me?"

Tala snatched her hand back, gasping louder than she intended to into her hands. "What?"

"You don't look happy," Dashi grimaced.

"WHAT?!"

"Oh man, you're crying," he said, rubbing the back of his neck and averting his eyes, "I'm sorry."

"WHAT?!"

"Tala, I," Dashi stammered as Tala began to cry into her hands, "Oh gosh, oh man. Please don't-"

Tala tackled Dashi, laughing while they kissed.

"I'll take that as a yes, then?" whispered Dashi when they took a breath. Tala nodded, giggling.

* * *

The summer sun glistened against the pond. Lotus blossoms bloomed upon the lily pads that slowly danced along its surface. Tala looked down into the water, her eye catching the koi circling the rocky bottom beyond her reflection. The heat of the day sliced at her back, causing droplets of sweat to slide down her neck.

Tala's heart leapt when she touched her lips, still buzzing from the memory of Dashi's kiss. She was engaged! Tala smiled against her fingers, giggling. She forgot everything else as she traced the fine grains of the wooden railing with her fingers to a romantic melody that she hummed along to.

Tala's heart shot into her throat at the sight of Chase, wide-eyed and blinking, waiting for her just at the bridge's edge. '_What in the world_?'

A half heartbeat's look at him and she smiled. "Hi."

Chase's throat bobbed, but he returned Tala's greeting with a grin. His eyes were shining. "Hey."

Tala let her smile wane, dragging herself back to the present. "What are you doing at my apartment?"

Chase took a half step onto the bridge to meet her. "I wanted to talk to you."

There was a rushed way to Chase's step that caused his fingers to brush hers. Tala snatched her hand away from the sudden shock and leaned away as Chase overshadowed her. The playful look in his eyes was sharp. Friendly enough, but-

"Tala, we've been friends for a long time now," said Chase quickly.

"Eight years," said Tala, her calculating thoughts slipping into the cautious crawl of her voice, "What's your point?"

"We _are_ friends," said Chase, "aren't we?"

Tala swallowed down her suspicion with a toothy grin. "Of course!"

Chase offered a hand to her. "Let's take a walk for a while," he said, "It's a beautiful day. We shouldn't waste it. I…. wanted to apologize for what happened the other day."

That was new. Tala looked at Chase's hand. Her fingers flicked as she hesitated, not wanting to spoil her mood by being reminded about their conversation about the prophecy. Well, she needed to speak to him about the engagement anyway. '_Best now than ever, I suppose_,' Tala reasoned with herself, taking Chase's hand.

"We'll take the West Path," he suggested, smirking.

They walked down the old bamboo path. It was littered with leaves drenched from the passing rains, bright green against stark black. The path was secluded and quiet with nothing but the crunch of their feet on the still-wet gravel to fill in the awkward silence.

Tala's entire body felt stiff, her nerves getting the better of her. She bit her fingernails into her free palm, breathing slowly. '_Calm down_,' Tala thought, '_He'll be happy for you. Just get it over with and tell him_! _Who cares about the prophecy_! _You're in love_! _He'll understand_!'

"We'll be at the end soon," said Chase, giving Tala's hand a reassuring squeeze, "Do you recognize the path?"

"Yes," she answered thinly, keeping the hand he held limp.

"Good."

Tala shivered at the sound of his whisper gliding over the word, just as his thumb did her knuckles.

The courtyard was just ahead. Tala's heart began to pound, picking up with Chase's stride. He was leading now, rushing them to the end as fast as a walking pace would allow.

"Chase, I have to tell you something," said Tala. Her abrupt stop yanked Chase's arm back.

He looked at Tala from over his shoulder. "And I have something to tell you," Chase answered through his sharp smile, "But I'd rather do that _under_ the tree. Come on!"

Tala yelped when Chase pulled her through the courtyard's open gate.

"Chase," Tala protested, "Listen to me!"

"Only if you listen to me first," he said.

Chase turned and took both of Tala's hands. She tried to pull away, but he began to dance, sweeping her underneath the willow's branches. "What are you doing?" cried Tala.

Chase laughed as they spun. "Look up!"

The white flowers were a blur, falling like snow into their hair. In spite of the urgency still rising up Tala's spine, she smiled, allowing herself at least a little fun.

The world began to slow, returning to full focus when Chase abruptly let go of Tala's hands. Still dizzy, she practically fell into Chase's open arms.

"Excuse me," said Tala, scrambling to stand back up. Chase took her hands before she could completely back away. She double-took, surprised when Chase pulled her close again.

"Tala Bao," said Chase, gently smiling as she crained her neck to look up at him, "I want you to know how much I love you."

Tala nearly choked on her lungs. She wanted to protest, but her tongue felt stuck to the roof of her mouth, struggling to release itself from the sand coating her throat.

Tala's heart was pounding. Chase knelt down and pulled out a hidden package from underneath the root beside him. He unwrapped the linen cloth from it to reveal a double-ended sword. Both blades were curved, suspended by an intricately carved staff between them. Chase pressed the side of it with his thumb to retract one of the blades, and presented the sword to Tala with a smile.

Finally able to speak, she whispered, "Your Kwan-Dao sword."

"I offer this to you as a symbol of my affection," Chase explained, beaming, "and if you'll permit it, your acceptance for my proposal of marriage."

Panic began to well at the edge of Tala's eyes. Violently, it clawed at her throat. "Chase,"

"I was thinking that we could turn it into a Wu together," said Chase, his excitement quickening his words, " just like we did with the Arrow Sparrow! It should be easy for you now, since this time you've had plenty of practice with Dashi and the other Shen Gong Wu."

"Chase," said Tala, fighting her lungs for air.

He was ignoring her, looking at the sword dreamily and rubbing along the edge of it with his thumb. "This one will be special of course, since it would be ours."

"_Chase_,"

Chase snapped his head up to look at Tala and his smile fell. He rushed back to his feet. "Tala, you're crying," he said, reaching out a hand to touch her face.

Tala backed away from his reach. "I can't."

"What's wrong?" The confusion on Chase's face was child-like.

Tala's heart hopped like a stone and sank, heavily dropping into her stomach in freefall. "I'm already engaged."

Chase's eyes went wide, hurt seeping into them slowly until it settled like honey at the bottom of a glass.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you," said Tala.

The tearful hurt in Chase's eyes was snuffed out, hardened by sharpness and a grit to his jaw. "_Who_?"

"Does it matter?" asked Tala.

"I saved your life!" Chase shouted, throwing down the Kwan-Dao, "I trained you in martial arts! I've waited patiently for you for eight years! Of course it matters! WHO IS HE?"

Tala backed away as Chase advanced, glaring and ready to fight. "You _what_?" she demanded, "How long have you been planning this?!"

"_Does it matter_?" Chase sneered, mocking Tala's brogue, "I kept your secrets, I protected you from my father and the Grand Master for as long as I've known you, AND I was the one who continued to fight for you to rise in rank after you were spurned for the Apprentice belt!"

"You aren't the only one," Tala protested, "Dashi believes in me!"

"Dashi?" Chase laughed. "_I_ was the only one who believed that your magic could be used for good! _I_ was the one that stayed by your side when everyone else in this place were too afraid to even come near you! _I'm_ the one who believes in you! Don't tell me that my love for you all these years was in vain! I'M THE ONE WHO DESERVES YOU!"

"You deserve nothing!" Tala shouted back, "And by how you're acting, I'm glad that I've already said yes to another man! You're behaving like a spoiled child! You say all of the time that you could hand pick any girl in this Temple to be your bride and she would gladly say yes! Prove your bragging and find someone else if you want a wife so badly!"

"I don't want another wife," hissed Chase, closing the distance between them swiftly, "I want you."

Chase pulled Tala's face to his, swallowing her breath in his kiss. She roughly pushed him away.

Tala wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand and stepped away from Chase, anger and horror rushing poison through her veins. "How dare you!" she seethed.

Chase's cruel smile melted, the possession of his anger draining from his face. Like a tidal wave receding from the wreckage, Chase's eyes turned from hatred to disgust. He looked at her with those shining eyes again, like a man awakening from a dream. "Tala," Chase whimpered, "I-"

"Don't," Tala's voice was a stone, tossing down Chase's apology and crushing it without remorse.

"Tala, believe me. I wasn't-"

"I don't want to hear it!" Tala hissed.

She turned to leave, but Chase grabbed her again. "I won't let you leave me like this!" he growled, the wild anger returning.

"No, Chase! St-"

Chase silenced her with a deep kiss, hard and demanding. He held her as close as he could, pressing his hand into her back. The more Tala struggled to break free from him, the tighter Chase pressed into her. The kiss was so deep, so raw, that Tala felt that Chase was sucking out her very soul.

There was only one way out. Tala relaxed and let her tense arms rest on Chase's chest, no longer pushing against his weight. She leaned back on Chase's palm and softened her mouth, turning the violent kiss tender.

Chase relaxed too, pulling away. His nose brushed Tala's lightly when he whispered, "Now do you-"

Tala's blow was so intense that Chase faltered to his side, immediately releasing her. He tumbled with a grunt, gripping his knees.

Chase spat out blood as he caught his breath, chuckling and wiping his chin. "I taught you that backhand," he said.

"Who cares," she spat.

Chase looked up and Tala raised her arm again, poised for another strike.

Chase staggered to stand upright. "Tala,"

"No."

"Tala," Chase wheezed, still reeling and smiling, "don't do this. We both know that you-"

"Do _not_ breathe a word about this!" Tala said this so thickly that her throat could barely form the words. She nearly struggled to breathe. "If I hear even one rumor, no matter how small, I will kill you. Mark my words."

Chase's harsh eyes were a challenge, matching his cocky grin. "No you won't," he said, "There's something more than love between us. There always has been, and you know it. The prophecy-"

"I couldn't care less about the prophecy!" Tala shouted, shaking, "I am _engaged_, do you hear me? You will keep your distance with respect, or we shall never speak again! _Then_ where will your precious prophecy be?"

Chase was shocked into silence, watching Tala with wide eyes and a slack jaw.

The moment was long before Chase spoke again, his voice cracking, "This isn't right."

"So?"

Chase's glower was accusing. "We're connected."

"I don't care."

"You're the Pearl, Tala!" Chase growled, "I'm the Crown! You are supposed to love _me_!"

"This isn't a story, Chase," said Tala, "You've taken this too far. The prophecy is just a bunch of ancient words. They mean nothing!"

"Even so," said Chase, "I love you. I can't see myself without you! Don't you understand?"

Tala shook her head, barely holding herself together. "I'm sorry, Chase," she said, " I truly am, but I love someone else. That will not change, no matter what you say."

Chase set his jaw. "And my love for you won't change, no matter how hard you push me away. Just to spite you, I'll love you. You've ruined me, Brave girl."

"No," growled Tala, "You cannot have that. You cannot hold that over me!"

"My heart isn't yours to give," said Chase. His voice matched the accusing fire pouring from his eyes, "I can hold it over you as I please. You can't take _that _away with threats, witch."

Tala held his stare a moment longer before breaking it off, along with her stance. "Just stay away from me," she whispered hollowly.

"Who is he?"

Tala hesitated, but coldly she said, "Dashi."

"Typical," Chase spat, "Of course it would be him. First the Grand Master, then my father, and now you. I work my ass off to be perfect and he's the one you people always choose."

"Dashi was chosen to be Shoku Warrior because of his leadership skills," said Tala, "not because you lost some pissing contest. Grow up."

"Grow up?" scoffed Chase, "You still look like a child!"

"_Chun Spéartha mhaithe_!" cried Tala, "Jabbing at my looks now because you have nothing else better to say? Such maturity from the noble and mighty Xiaolin Dragon of Fire! Oh no, sorry. Still just a warrior. You'll be lucky if you even see _me_ rise to Dragon."

Chase grew still, his glower pinpointed on Tala with frightening clarity. She refused to look away from him.

"He won't let you have it, you know," said Tala, "So long as the Grand Master can keep you held under his thumb, you'll never reach Dragon rank. He's spoiled you and turned you into his lap dog. You'll do whatever he says to get what you want, but you'll never have it. All you are, Chase, is the Grand Master's puppet."

"Take that back!"

"It's true," snapped Tala, "You know it is. The Grand Master built you up and filled your head with pride just so he could tear it down and make you into his propaganda-spewing pawn. You're the heroic face of this Temple and nothing more."

His voice was like ash. "Shut up."

"You're hollow and fake," said Tala, turning her back and walking toward the gate, "That's why Dashi was chosen over you. He genuinely cared for us as a team and saw us as people instead of as a means to achieving his goals."

"I genuinely care for _you_," whispered Chase.

Tala looked over her shoulder and swallowed down the hitch in her throat from seeing Chase's face so sad and honest. This was the most truthful he had ever been with her, if Tala herself were to be honest.

"You," Tala murmured, "are a tyrant, blaming other people for your mistakes and expecting them to blindly follow you anyway."

"This doesn't change anything," said Chase, "I know you're only trying to push me away. If you're worried about the prophecy-"

"I already said that I don't care about the prophecy," said Tala, too tired to back weight behind her words

"Jia ruined you," Chase spat, "That's why she had to leave. She made you skittish!"

"What?" Tala hissed, "_You_ did that? You're the one that got her banished?!"

Chase smirked, shrugging. "I had no choice. I needed you to understand… But now I see it's too late. You're already blind. I can't open your eyes to the truth with words, so now I need to take action. I hoped getting rid of that bad influence would be enough, but it didn't work."

Tala shook her head slowly. "We're done, here," she sighed, walking away, "I will be marrying Dashi within the next month. This discussion is over."

"Never," said Chase, "Not until I say it is."

The quiet vow, softer than the rustle of leaves, made Tala shudder. She walked through the gate, refusing to give Chase the satisfaction of seeing her wince.

* * *

**AN: The drama train has left the tracks and it refuses to stop. We're all about to crash. It was nice knowing you. **

**Irish translations**:

'_Ba é sin an rud Uafásach a dhéanamh_!'- That was a horrible thing to do!

'_Conas is féidir leat é seo a dom_?!'- How can you do this to me?!

'_Amadán_!'- Fool!

'_Chun Spéartha mhaithe!'- For Heaven's sake!_


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

_Twenty Eight__ A Time To Gather Stones

Anyone who had attended the wedding would have bragged to a passing stranger about having been a part of it. Despite protests from the bride and groom, the Grand Master had insisted on it being an extravagant event. After all, this _was_ a wedding between the Shoku warrior and the first Wind Dragon candidate in over three hundred years. There had to be a celebration unlike the Xiaolin Temple had ever seen.

The festival lasted twelve days, a feast starting each day and fireworks to mark the end of each night. Tents lined every courtyard, filled with games and food for all to enjoy. Every day was a new theme- different colors representing luck, wealth, fertility, and power. On the twelfth day was the wedding actually held. The last color theme was a bright crimson, only to be worn by the bride and groom themselves.

The sunny courtyard was a rainbow of colors beneath the red drapes covering the Vault doors and lining the stage. Peach, pink, purple, orange and yellow, worn as wishes of prosperity and happiness for the young couple. However, the bride was still yet to be seen.

Tala hid herself inside of the red tent, surrounded in a sea of what was supposed to represent her delight. Instead, Tala felt her stomach coil into knots at the thought of stepping out onto the platform. Several of the maids, now long withered since the bloom of their youth, fussed with Tala's hair, tying it up with beautiful ribbons and chittering away happily.

Even Yuma's sow-face looked a bit less frightening as she worked, her puffy cheeks apple red from boisterously singing a song about luck and patience. Tala did not listen to the words. She was too busy clutching her stomach as Yuma yanked and pulled obliviously at her tangled curls.

"My, my, little r- Honored Trainee," huffed Yuma as she draped the red veil over the hair piece above Tala's face, "How does it feel to be the luckiest woman in the Temple, hmm? When I first saw you clinging to your foreigner father, I have to admit I thought your scrawny bones wouldn't live past that winter. And to all our shock, you were chosen to be a Xiaolin Dragon! Such a little girl, I thought! Well, she wouldn't make it past her first year of training, that's for sure! But look at'chya now, all grown and marrying the most esteemed man in the Temple below the Grand Master himself! And to think I thought you were trouble."

Tala's nails bit into her palms as Yuma pinned the last braid into place. Yuma laughed, slapping Tala's shoulders with her blocky hands. "Oh well, you're _his _trouble now, ain'tcya?"

Tala's smile was a grimace, grumbling under her breath, "I hope not."

"Yep!" said Yuma, "Girls like you an' me, troublemakers for our men. Though not so many lucky as you, loving your man before the bond. Ran away from mine twice before I decided to take 'em for who he was. Died in the war six months later, but I found him better than most."

"Isn't it bad luck to talk about death at a wedding?" snapped Tala, turning around to glare at Yuma's upturned, flat nose.

"Hmph," sneered Yuma, "Bad luck, good luck. As if a witch needs luck. Your lot can't accumulate much more bad. You're made of the stuff."

"Get out of my tent," Tala growled, not sure if Yuma had understood her or not.

Yuma rolled her eyes, but did as she was told, lumbering like a bear between the flaps, letting them swing when she left. The other maids stared at Tala quietly, and lowered their eyes when she met their guilty gazes. '_Withered old hags, all of them_,' she thought, biting the inside of her cheek to focus on anything but the taste of orange in her mouth, '_Dust and bones. They aren't worth it_.'

With a quiet sigh Tala stood, facing herself in the long mirror glass. One of the woman scrambled up from where she was kneeling and held the mirror straight. It shimmered against the strip of sunlight provided by the open flap. Tala lifted her veil, laying it gently over the tightly pinned braids piled high above the bridal crown. She could not recognize herself.

Her face was painted white, covering everything but the rosy blush of her cheeks and the cherry paint on her lips. She squirmed at the feel of it already drying on her skin, cracking in places behind her jaw when she moved. Her wedding dress was long. Too long, actually. Tala had to turn to find where the silky train ended, following the phoenix pattern flowing down her gown in golden embroidery to the other side of the tent. The dress had a way of design that held a hint of bragging about the Xiaolin Temple's wealth, obviously designed by Grand Master Wei, the shining flowy silk and glass beads showing off his signature flare for the dramatic.

But nothing, absolutely nothing, was more absurd than the headdress the Grand Master had 'given' to Tala as a wedding present to wear at the ceremony. Thick gold, extremely heavy, topped with rubies and garnet, trimmed with gossamer thread and beads, took up Tala's forehead and nearly half of her hair, piled high into thick, intertwining braids and ribbons. Almost to outdo the jewelry, the veil itself was long enough to touch the back of her neck while being folded over top this travesty, beautifully crafted with golden tassels and the deepest shade of red silk she had ever seen. Tala swallowed down vomit as she squeaked, "I can't do this."

"You look lovely."

Tala turned as the maids all bowed to Chase. With the light casted behind him, he looked like a shadow, staring at Tala with a glint in his eyes that made them look like refined copper. It was ironic to see him dressed in peach, a symbol of luck and good fortune to favor the bride and groom, when he looked anything but happy to be celebrating. His hair was tame for once, braided back with a matching ribbon to his uniform. With the proud way Chase stood, and with his face so serenely beautiful, Tala could practically hear the hearts melting of every maid standing within ten feet of him.

"What are you doing here?" Tala hissed, "No one is allowed to see me until the ceremony!"

"To wish you luck," said Chase, inspecting his nails, "Obviously."

Tala bared her teeth. "Get out!"

"Oh-ho," Chase teased, holding up his hands, "No need to get all witchy on me. You can put the fangs away. I just wanted to see how you were doing. You've only seen these half-dead crones for the past twelve days. Thought you'd like to see a friendly face."

"Chase," said Tala, just barely remembering not to touch her face, "I can't believe nobody has ever told you this, but I am telling you now: you have the tact of a squid. Please leave my tent."

Chase nodded his head in the direction of the maids. "Tell them to leave."

"NO!"

Chase rolled his eyes and looked at the woman holding up the mirror. "Leave."

"Yes, sir," stammered the woman, her brittle voice like rustling parchment. She scurried out, waving at the other five women to follow her.

It wasn't until he watched the last old woman leave that Chase closed the tent door, tying the flaps together. Tala gave Chase the meanest glare she could.

"They only listened because you're a higher rank than me," she snipped.

"Being cute doesn't hurt either," said Chase, winking.

"You are far from cute, you insufferable a-"

"Ah, ah, ah," Chase chided, "You'll be a married woman in an hour. What would Dashi say if he heard you using such foul language?"

"He's heard worse," Tala growled, following Chase with her narrowed eyes as he lightly brushed the jewelry left discarded on the table while he passed it. He smirked, a soft snort escaping as if he had remembered something rather funny.

"What?" Tala snapped.

"I'm glad I came," he murmured, "You must be shaking in that huge dress of yours, going through this alone. Weddings are scary."

His eyes were quick, coldly taking her in with a flickering sweep and then melting to match his clever smile. "One could get cold feet."

Tala folded her arms. "One could punch you in the face."

Chase's smirk soured, pulled so tightly that his dimple showed, as if he had smelt something rotten and refused to acknowledge it. "Must be tough," he said, "without Jia to help you."

Tala held his stare, unable to help the bob in her throat. Chase shrugged and studied the jewelry again.

"Of course, that was all unavoidable," he said, picking up a very large necklace. He held it up to the light, watching the many facets of the three ruby pendants catch the sun with shuddering winks. "She was poisoning you, taking away your innocence and faith in me."

"You did that yourself," accused Tala.

Chase paused, the light bouncing off of the necklace and into her eyes. Tala had to shield them, squinting beneath her hand. He put the necklace down, and Tala had to blink away the ink spots eating away at her vision. Chase was merely a moving blotch of black and peach when he spoke again.

"Whether you believe it or not, Tala," he said, "I'm on your side. I always have been."

Tala blinked hard, cursing the makeup at the edges of her eyes for making the recovery harder. She nearly went mad keeping herself from rubbing at it. "Please," Tala spat, turning her face to try to shake the pain away, "The only side you've ever been on is yours."

She gasped when Chase suddenly grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. He was clear now, close enough for Tala to look deep into his eyes, orange and cat-like. Much prettier than she wanted to remember, with trenches of deep brown and golden rivers.

"You and I share a destiny," he hissed, "Your side _is_ my side!"

His fire cooled, smoothing out his mouth from a frown to a grin. "I almost forgot how pretty you are," Chase whispered, "I tricked myself into thinking your magic was your only appeal. I spent nights since that day lying awake and hating you, you know. Hatred turns the most beautiful and virtuous women into leprous whores if you try hard enough."

Chase's mask cracked and the pain hidden behind it gave itself away with a sheen to his eyes. "But you're not," he choked, "You're not. You're much more than the images my nightmares can make of you. You really _have _ruined me."

Tala pushed him away when he pulled her face closer. He stumbled backward and crashed into the jewelry table, scattering necklaces and earrings onto the dusty floor. Chase looked at Tala like a drowning man searching for a break in the water.

"Get," bit Tala, "Out."

"Don't do this, Tala," Chase whispered, "Not again."

Tala refused to cry for him this time. "Go."

Chase hardened. "I came here to warn you."

So did Tala. She pulled back her shoulders, glaring down at him. "About what?"

Chase smirked. He stood, dusting himself off. When he looked at Tala again, the smile was gone, but the cockiness in his eyes remained. "Things are going to change," he said, "With or without you, I'm igniting this prophecy. Just thought you'd like to know."

Tala curled her hands. "I cannot express how much I don't care."

Chase smiled, looking at her fist. "Then why are you shaking?"

Tala clenched her jaw and looked away, wincing at the sadness in Chase's voice. "It was good seeing you like this up close, even if it _is_ as someone else's bride."

The curtain flapped and he was gone. Tala slowly opened her eyes, meeting the worried glances of the maids poking their heads through. "_Well_?" she snapped.

The maids cowered with mice-like squeaks, darting back behind the tent's opening.

"NO!" Tala shouted after them, "I-I mean, wait. Help me finish, please."

One or two shily came back, looking at Tala like reprimanded toddlers instead of the wise old women they were meant to be for her today. She sighed and waved them in, swallowing down all temptation to sob and ruin their paint job.

The maids scurried in, immediately fussing over the wrinkles and loose beads in Tala's dress. The one that had held the mirror, surprisingly a head smaller than Tala, stood on her tiptoes and pulled the veil back over Tala's face. Her drooping mouth, like a tortoise, trembled into a sagging grin, and nearly blind eyes watering. "It's time, dear," the maid rasped, lightly tracing beneath Tala's chin.

The old maid took Tala's hand and guided her out of the tent and into the blinding sunlight, beginning Tala's new life, no longer afraid and no longer alone.

* * *

Chase took another swig of wine, the sourness of it prickling the back of his throat. Hannibal Bean was tucked neatly away behind his braid at the base of his neck, chuckling as they watched Tala and Dashi kiss, the crowd cheering and tossing hundreds of ribbons into the air to mark the end of the wedding festival.

"You hate them, don't you?" asked Hannibal, its soothing voice grating against Chase's ear.

Chase swallowed another gulp of the hideous stuff, his stomach tightening at the feel of the alcohol dropping into it like a heavy stone. He stayed silent, watching Tala gaze into her husband's eyes with a dazzling smile on her face. He took another swig.

They stood far enough away for no one to notice Chase talking to himself, but he spoke quietly to keep from being overheard. "I wish I could."

Hannibal chuckled again, making the hairs on the back of Chase's neck stand up when it brushed his skin with its tentacle. "Don't be so proud, Chase," the bean cooed, "I know you'd want nothing more than to destroy their happiness right now."

"I warned her," Chase clipped, "That was all I wanted."

"You tried to kiss her, boy," Hannibal snapped, "I was there."

"I'm surprised you didn't fall out when she pushed me," sneered Chase, wishing it had.

"Your side _is_ my side," Hannibal mocked, "Oh, chickadee, you've ruined me~"

"Shut up," Chase hissed, "I was trying to get her to listen to me."

"Sure," said Hannibal, "I bet those tears were fake, too."

"I hate that I still love her," Chase admitted.

"The Crown and Pearl _are_ connected," mused Hannibal, "It's no wonder you still have strong feelings, even after that scalding spurn she gave you that while back. Should have been enough for you to hightail it and run, cut Tala off and hate her forever."

"But it didn't," Chase finished for Hannibal, darkly.

Chase could practically feel the heat of the thing's wicked grin, its breath moist against his skin. "Well, you _did _warn her," it said, "So, about that favor of mine."

Chase focused on Tala again. She was leaning into Dashi's shoulder, smiling as guests came and presented gifts to them. He clenched his fist and let the rest of his wine splash on the ground, tossing the cup. "What about it?"

"Have you ever heard," asked the bean, its voice slithering and slow, "about the Lou Ming Long soup?"

"An ancient fairytale," Chase snapped.

"Like the Crown and Pearl?"

Chase's stomach flipped, but he said nothing. Instead he kept looking at Tala, fighting the urge to scream.

"The Lou Ming Long soup," explained Hannibal, "is a potion capable of turning any ordinary man into the fiercest of warriors. It bestows upon you power unlike . You would have fame, fortune, freedom… You can have _everything _you have ever wanted."

Chase's eyes widened at the thought. Then he remembered. Narrowing his eyes, Chase added, "The only catch is your soul. It's a Heylin potion."

"Exactly," cooed Bean.

Chase shook his head. "I can't."

Hannibal sounded a twinge angry. "You'll have to, if you ever want to fulfill the prophecy."

"Evil isn't something you do once and you're done," said Chase, echoing a memory of Tala, "It's something you become."

"And who are you meant to become then, Chase Young?" asked Hannibal, "A simple Xiaolin Dragon, pining away after the lost love of your life and forever cast in the shadow of the leadership that was stolen from you?... Or the Crown?"

Chase bit his lower lip.

"Tell you what," said Hannibal, "I'll let you think about it. What I'm offering you is something very precious. Wouldn't want to waste it on someone who's only half committed."

"I'm not going to do it," said Chase.

"I'm only trying to help."

Screams rang from the crowd as darkness loomed overhead. A rock giant blocked out the sun, bellowing a roar. Everyone ducked, blocking their ears, screaming in terror as more rock giants broke through the earth, spraying rock and dirt. They knocked down tents and tore out trees, scattering the guests like cockroaches.

Chase yelled after Tala, running for her when one of the giants smashed its fist into the side of the Vault, sending rubble her way. He grabbed her, rolling just nearly escaping the boulder's crushing blow. Tala pushed him off, scrambling to her feet. "Get off of me!"

Her bridal crown and veil had fallen, the piled braids now flopping to the side of her head. She frantically whipped her head back and forth, crying for Dashi. Chase got up and grabbed Tala's arm. "We have to go!" he shouted above the roars of the giants.

"No, Chase, wait!" Tala protested, but he dragged her back. Tala fought herself free the second they were clear and ran straight back in.

"TALA!" Chase darted after her, but she disappeared against the flow of the screaming, running guests.

Chase spotted Guan ushering people away, his signature orange robes pointing him out against the rest. "Guan!" Chase shouted, running to him.

"Help me get these people to a safe location," Guan told him.

"No time!" cried Chase, "Tala just ran back in there! She's alone!"

"She'll be fine!" said Guan, "We have to get these people away from the giants!"

Chase growled and ran after Tala anyway, ignoring Guan calling for him.

He found her in a clearing of the carnage. Rock giants circled Tala and Wuya, a wall of shuddering, grinding rock, blocking all chance for Tala to escape.

Tala and Wuya stared each other down as Tala protected Dashi, standing in front of him with her Blade of the Nebula poised to strike. Tala's face paint was only streaks of white across her nose and chin now, and most of her hair had fallen down, the tattered ribbons flying like banners. The train of her dress had been ripped and signed. Tala held the longer half of it in her free hand and tossed it at the rock giant's feet, the stench of the burned silk rotting the air.

"Well, well," sneered Wuya from atop the monster's head, "This feel so familiar. Oh, that's right. Your mother wore silk the day she died, too. No wonder I like that smell."

Tala tightened her grip on the Blade. "Go, Dashi," Chase heard her say, "I can handle her."

Chase stepped between the feet of one of the rock giants and joined Tala's side. "You're not doing it alone," he said.

Dashi was at her other side and took Tala's free hand. "You don't have to," he told her with such a sweetly encouraging smile that Chase nearly gagged. The worst part was that Tala fell for it with a warm smile of her own.

"Pretty boy!" Wuya shouted to Chase with delight, "I guess your good looks couldn't get you _everything _you wanted, huh? Too bad. I kind of liked you."

"Shut up!" Tala barked for him, "Get out of here, Wuya! You have no business coming to my wedding!"

"I have every right!" Wuya snapped, "I missed my sister's wedding. I wasn't about to miss yours. And quite the party too, I must say. Super pretentious and boring. Has Grand Master Wei written all over it."

"So you decided to crash," drawled Dashi.

Wuya shrugged. "Thought my gift to the two of you would be to liven up the place a bit. What's a bit of spilled blood amongst family?"

Dashi stood in front of Tala, holding her back when she growled and tried to step forward. "We aren't your family," he said calmly.

Wuya puckered her lips. "Oh," she pouted, "not family? And here I actually brought something for the happy couple. Now I'm embarrassed."

"Leave, Wuya," Tala repeated, "before I turn this wedding into a bonfire."

Wuya chortled, her smile made sinister with sharp teeth. Her voice matched the beads of the witch's eyes, illuminated by the green fire held up close to her face. "Your mother said that, too."

Tala blocked the fireball with the Blade of the Nebula. She, Chase and Dashi dodged attack after attack, weaving between each other as they attempted to get closer. Wuya suddenly stopped and fell off, stunning the three in their tracks.

Taking Wuya's place was Guan, still holding his Spear of Guan where he had butted the back of the witch's head. The three looked up at him, glee thinning out their shocked mouths into gaping smiles. "Guan!" Chase laughed.

Guan waved, instantly losing his balance as the confused rock giant tried to grab at him. He jammed the blade of his spear into a crevice in the head and used it to propel himself forward, landing on his feet as the rock giant split in half and crumbled.

"Ponytail," Wuya hissed, rubbing the back of her head, "I knew I had forgotten one."

Guan shrugged. "I'm quiet."

"Well, now I have the four of you in the same place, so~" Wuya's grin was wild as she re-ignited the flames in her hands, a harsh blaze spiraling into a pillar. The inferno split when she raised her hands, both spinning wheels of sire aimed at the four monks. "I can give Tala and baldy their wedding present. Death. For all of you."

The others were knocked away from Tala as Wuya rushed her, the twin infernos keeping the men at bay. She grabbed the Eye of Dashi swinging from Tala's neck, her cruel smile so close to Tala's face that it blurred with the sickening green. "I'm taking this back," she hissed, "and I'm melting your cute little face with it!"

Tala grabbed Wuya's wrist, a death grip on the Eye of Dashi. She yanked back hard. Both looked down as it began to glow.

Chase looked at Dashi, horrified, when he pumped his fists and yelled, "YES!"

"Your wife is about to be slaughtered!" Chase cried, "What are you happy about?!"

"I've been waiting for this to happen!" Dashi hooted.

"You _what_?"

Dashi cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted, "Tala! Shout _Gong Yi Tampai_!"

Tala and Wuya looked at each other and then at him.

"_What_?" Tala cried.

"It's a safety precaution I invented for the Wu!" Dashi explained, "If two or more people fight over one, you have to make a game out of it to determine the winner!"

Tala seemed to be strangled by her own voice. "_What_?!"

"You've got this, honey!"

"No I don't!" Tala cried, "I'm so confused!"

"Game, Tala," Chase coached, "Think of a game! Like checkers, or something."

"I ca- I-" Tala panicked.

"Pick something you know you can't lose at," added Guan.

"Tag! Tag!" cried Tala, "I pick tag!"

Chase's stomach dropped at the way Wuya smiled at Tala, her teeth like pins.

"Gong Yi Tampai," Dashi repeated slowly.

"Gong Yi…" Tala murmured, looking Wuya in the eyes, "Tampai."

A flash of light surrounded both Tala and the witch. When it faded, the rock giants had all disappeared in favor of floating stalagmites and stalactites. The sky itself had gone dark, moving around them like a mist.

"You guys _really_ need to have better communication," Chase muttered to Dashi, taking in the strange scenery with wide eyes.

Where Chase looked up at this oddity with horror, Dashi practically had stars in his eyes. He nodded silently, waving him off.

Tala was trapped on one of the lower rocks, her feet sunken in. She struggled to move, but could not break free. "Dashi!" she called, "What's happening now? I can't move!"

"Yeah, what gives!" Wuya shouted, stuck in the same predicament.

Dashi smacked his forehead. "Agh, right," he hissed to himself before calling up to her, "You have to wager something! Preferably another Shen Gong Wu!"

"Are you kidding me?!" Tala screeched, dodging one of Wuya's fireballs, "We don't have anything to- STOP THAT!"

Tala cut off the third fireball with a small shield of shimmering magic. She made it bigger when Wuya ignored her and kept throwing. "Dashi," Tala called down, flinching at every green spitfire that jostled her, "Sweetheart, I don't think you thought this through."

"Just try!" Dashi encouraged. To Wuya, he shouted, "Wuya, Tala challenges you to a Xiaolin Showdown. She wagers her Blade of the Nebula-"

"WHAT?"

"Her Blade of the Nebula against your.. uh."

"Nice try, Dashi," Wuya gloated, "but I don't have any Wu!"

She threw another fiery curveball at Tala.

"Oh, come on!" Tala cried, avoiding it.

"Wager something, you stupid hag!" shouted Chase, "Preferably your life."

"Just throw her something, so we can get on with it!" Tala snapped.

"No!" Chase cried, "Wuya's not going near _any _of the- Dashi!"

Dashi swiped the Mantis Flip Coin from Chase's pocket.

"Do you think this is wise?" asked Guan, peering at the Mantis Flip Coin from over Dashi's shoulder.

Dashi didn't look too excited anymore. He glared at the Coin before throwing it up to Wuya. "Here," he said, "Your Mantis Flip Coin against Tala's Blade of the Nebula."

Wuya caught the Mantis Flip Coin and flicked it across her knuckles before snatching it up with her thumb. "Oooh," she cooed with a raspy chill, "A girl could get used to this."

Both her and Tala's feet were released from the rock, and they said together, "Gong Yi Tampai!"

Wuya wasted no time, shouting out the name of her Wu and jumping down from the rock with a graceful leap. She somersaulted, her foot poised to strike, But Tala barrel-rolled away from Wuya and dug her nails into the next rock, skidding to a halt with a chalky screech.

"So glad you chose tag, kid," said Wuya, lighting yet another fireball in the cradle of her clawed hand, "Looks like I'm it."

Tala jumped to avoid the flame but sacrificed her sure footing. She fell again, this time unable to find anywhere to hold onto. Tala dropped like a stone, smacking her back against a rock that lazily bobbed over to her rescue. Wuya was on top of Tala instantly.

"Get up, Tala!" Chase shouted, "Use your Wu!"

Tala swiped at Wuya with the Blade of the Nebula, but Wuya grabbed it and tossed it. "Oops," the witch sighed, "Sorry."

Chase helplessly watched the Blade of the Nebula clatter against rock after rock as it fell to the ground. Wuya bent down and hoisted Tala up by the collar of her dress. She struggled against Wuya, but it was already too late.

"Tag," said Wuya, letting Tala drop over the edge of the rock, "you're it."

Before Tala hit the ground, a flash of light brought the world back to normal. Tala hit the ground walking, fierce eyes on her husband. She was a mess, honestly. Everything about Tala looked burned, dirty, and nearly torn to sheds. Chase stepped aside, smiling.

"I'm so glad you're o-" Tala cut him off, shoving her hand into Chase's face.

She glared up at Dashi and then walked away. A fireball hitting the ground just ahead of her made Tala stop.

"Hold on, kid," growled Wuya, "I'm not finished with you ye-AH!"

Wuya dodged a blue fireball, much bigger than the ones she had been throwing. Chase looked from Wuya to Tala, his mouth hanging open. Smoke still curled from Tala's outstretched palm as she glowered at her aunt, her eyes the starkest white that Chase had ever seen.

"Leave," she whispered, raspy and thick, "Before I bury you."

"But the Shen Gong Wu," Guan protested, "Your Blade."

"LEAVE!" Tala shouted, throwing another fireball. Wuya hid her face, just barely ducking it. She ran as Tala began to bombard her with them.

"Tala!" Chase called after her as Tala chased Wuya out of the Temple. Dashi, Guan and Chase followed them, the men desperately trying to talk Tala down, but she was not having any of it.

Tala was wild, throwing attack after attack, the blue flames bursting against the buildings and scorching everything they touched. "AND STAY OUT!" Tala yelled, slamming the doors the minute Wuya skittered out of the Temple. Tala leaned against the scorched, red paint, closing her eyes.

Guan reached out, but thought better of it. "Tala?"

Tala's throat bobbed. "This was not how my wedding was supposed to go today, guys," she grumbled.

"Tala, I-" Dashi began. She snapped her eyes open and glared.

"Save it," she clipped, "How come you never told me about the Showdowns? We were partners! And as of today, I'm your wife!"

"I know," said Dashi, "I didn't think-"

"That's right, you didn't think!" Tala hissed, "You never do! You're always- ugh. Never mind. Let's not talk about this here."

She pushed herself off of the door and looked back at Dashi. "Are you coming?"

Dashi nodded and followed her. Chase watched them go, sighing. "The Grand Master is not going to like this," he grumbled, "But Tala's right. He should have told her. He should have told _us_. Now, who do you think the Elder Council is going to blame for this mess? Certainly not Dashi. I have no idea what she sees in him."

Guan patted Chase on the shoulder and walked past him, hunching over with a sigh. Chase watched him disappear behind the destroyed and abandoned festival tents, and looked at the scorch mark Tala had left on the door before following him.

* * *

Tala leaned up on her elbow, staring at Dashi with wide, accusing eyes. He lay opposite of her, too tired to keep himself upright. His own glare was more from needing rest than from being upset, though he had to admit she was being a little annoying for keeping him up.

"Tal, we've been over this," he said, "A Showdown begins when two or more people fight over the same Shen Gong Wu. You have to wager one of your own, and no, you can't bet someone's life."

"But it would be so much _easier_ if-"

"You aren't killing Wuya," said Dashi, "I designed the Showdowns to be safe so that you _wouldn't_ have to kill her. I thought I was doing you a favor by giving you an out to keep your last family member alive."

"She's not my family," Tala deadpanned.

"She's your blood relative."

"She's a menace," Tala snapped, "and must be destroyed."

"You're starting to sound like Master Young," Dashi grumbled.

Tala looked away. Dashi reached out and gently pulled her chin back. Her eyes were shining when she met his. "Hey," he murmured, "It'll be okay. We'll figure out how to get the Wu back."

"I keep messing everything up," she said, finally laying down at his shoulder.

Dashi wrapped his arms around Tala. "No," he said, "You were right. I should have told you beforehand. I'll explain it all to the Masters in the morning."

Tala sighed heavily, and finally, finally, Dashi thought she might fall asleep.

"Tell me more about the games."

"_Tala_," Dashi groaned.

Tala sat up again, glaring down at him. "No, tell me," she insisted, "I want to know. I'm trying to understand this."

"Aren't you tired?" he whined, "Why aren't you tired?"

Tala rolled her eyes. "Games," she insisted, "Are there certain rules to follow? Do they _have_ to turn into those gigantic landscapes? Can you just make up the games all willy nilly, or… What?"

"You're just so fun to watch when you're thinking," said Dashi, tucking a few curls behind her ear.

"Distracting me by getting all romantic isn't going to dissuade me from trying to understand all of this, Dashi," said Tala.

"But I can try," he said, pushing up to try and swipe a kiss. She met him halfway, smiling.

"Good night, Tala," Dashi murmured against her lips.

Tala huffed and leaned over her side of the mat to blow out the candle at her head. "Good night, then."

It wasn't long after that Dashi heard the sweet, contented sigh of his sleeping wife. He opened an eye to make sure, hoping it wasn't too good to be true. The soft swell of her lips, slightly parted, whistled out a light coo as she slept on, unaware of his eyes taking her in. Dashi smiled, and closed his eyes too.

* * *

Tala gulped when she met the Grand Master's scrutinizing gaze. His beard bobbed when he cleared his throat and flicked his eyes over the rest of the team.

"It is unfortunate that a day meant meant for cause of celebration has now been tarnished in the memory of the Xiaolin Temple," he said, "but that just gives us all the more reason to hunt down this witch and bring her to justice."

The Wudai warriors and Tala all bowed, murmuring, "Yes, sir."

Dashi remained upright, his mouth a grim line.

"There is something troubling you, Grand Master Dashi," said Grand Master Wei, "and something tells me it's not all from your wedding being interrupted. Come, speak your mind."

Dashi sighed and stood. Standing before his team, the Shoku spoke with an open hurt in his eyes. "I want to apologize to you all," Dashi told them. Nodding to Tala, he said, "I had a conversation with my wife last night about my behavior regarding the Shen Gong Wu, and the surprise we encountered yesterday. I should never have kept the Showdowns a secret. Honestly, I had thought it would be something rare and that it really wouldn't be worth mentioning until much, much later. I thought the knowledge of the Shen Gong Wu and their extensive abilities had to be only my burden to bear. I've actually been working on some manuscripts to explain how they work and what to do with them, so I thought that I could just…"

Dashi sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Even with that, it was wrong of me not to keep all of you informed. Especially you, Tala. I'm sorry. I haven't been acting much like a leader lately."

Tala smiled at him and nodded, but dropped her smile when she met Grand Master Wei's sharp eyes.

"There is still the matter," said the Grand Master, "of the missing Shen Gong Wu, thanks to our dear Trainee. How you managed to lose your signature Wudai weapon to a witch is beyond me. Though, I suppose that can explain why you have yet to advance to the Apprentice rank."

Tala clenched her fists, refusing to look at him.

"However," added Grand Master Wei loudly, making her flinch, "this gives us the opportunity to find a proper place for all of the Shen Gong Wu. I see now that having them all in one location is very dangerous."

"That was apparent during the invasion of Wuya and Mala Mala Jong," grumbled Master Young.

"Yes, yes," said Grand Master Wei, "Well, seeing as how half of the Vault collapsed-"

"I told you it would," Master Young cut in.

"With the Vault _collapsing_," Grand Master Wei said, "we will need to move the Shen Gong Wu to safer locations until it can be repaired. There are several hundred temples all over Asia."

"Might I suggest a grander scale?" asked Master Young, folding his hands behind his back.

Grand Master Wei glared at him, and Tala painfully swallowed the snigger trying to escape her.

Master Young stepped forward and smiled down at Dashi. "No Wu should be hiding in the same place," he suggested, "Your weapons are far too powerful, and even one falling into the wrong hands can cause drastic amounts of devastation."

His eyes slid over to Tala, mocking. "The fact that an all-powerful sorceress now has three of them in her possession is cause enough for alarm and precaution."

"Which is exactly why," said Grand Master Wei with a clap of his hands, "I have prepared a guide for the four of you to aid you on your journey. Dojo-"

The dragon sleeping around his neck snorted as he was jostled awake. "Dojo!"

Dojo flopped over and slapped the jade floor in a pile of coils. "Yes, Grand Master Wei?" he grumbled, scratching the scales on the back of his neck.

"You shall begin your service to Grand Master Dashi starting today," the Grand Master told him, "Now, I know you don't normally switch masters until the fist dies, but this is the exception."

Dojo huffed, his claws placed on his non-existent hips. "Jee, what a shame," he clipped, "and here I was hoping to watch you croak."

He waved at the monks, blinking sleepily. "Hey, kids."

Dashi bent down and picked Dojo up by his squirming middle. "This little guy is supposed to be our guide?" he asked.

"Hey, hey hey!" cried Dojo, swiping at him, "Watch the scales! I just took a bath three weeks ago!"

Dashi dropped him. Dojo rubbed at the top of his head. "I think I might prefer serving that stuffy old mummy," he growled.

"He won't always be small, " said Grand Master Wei with a smile, "Dojo, why don't you show them?"

Dojo rolled his eyes and instantly began to morph. Tala gasped as the dragon's body grew. The small, snake-like creature nearly filled the room with his winding body. A fearsome mane of green and yellow trailed down his back from the shaggy sides of his head to the red tuft of his tail, and what used to be the sweet face of the quirky little dragon became the snarling snout and piercing eyes of a true dragon of ancient myth. Smoke poured from the sides of his maw, pillars spiraling up to the ceiling. "Am I a little guy now?" Dojo asked with a thundering growl.

Dashi smiled up at him. "Certainly not," he said, "Welcome to the team, Dojo!"

Dashi held out a hand to the dragon. Dojo's palm held Dashi's entire forearm, shaking the Shoku's entire body enthusiastically. "Sure thing, boss," he said, "Where to first?"

Tala giggled as Dashi recovered, rubbing the side of his head. "South," he said, "We're starting south."


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

_Twenty Nine__ Crossroads

"This is the third time we've passed Tibet!" snapped Chase as a few curious rice harvesters blinked at the dragon flying above them, "Do you even know where we're going?"

Dojo circled, the red tuft of his tail bobbing against a mirror-like rice paddy, starting a young woman with a yelp as the splashing water hit her face. "Sorry!" he cried as the woman raised her hands, yelling, "Not used to the extra weight!"

Tala pat Dojo's neck. "It's alright, Dojo," she said, "The lady can't understand you, anyway. Save your energy for flying. Don't want you to run out of breath and force an early landing."

"Yeah, well you kids are heavier than I expected," he grumbled, zigzagging across the open blue as they ascended, "_A lot_ heavier."

"That's because we're adults," Chase growled, "Are we landing yet? This gyrating is making me nauseous."

"No," said Dashi, sitting at Dojo's head, "we aren't landing. Not until we find Wuya and get the Shen Gong Wu back."

"We're lost!" Chase cried from behind Tala, "Let's just land and get our bearings. Are you sure those tracking hairs are working?"

Tala opened her palm, sighing as the three strands of red hair did not change. The itchy heat of the tracking magic made it very hard for her to be able to tell if they were on the right track or if she was just holding onto them for too long. "Nothing yet," she said dryly.

"Great," Chase groaned.

Guan, at Dojo's tail, peered over Chase's shoulder. Speaking for the first time that morning, he said, "I agree with Chase, Dashi. We should land. Perhaps give Tala a break? She has been using magic non-stop since we broke down camp this morning."

Tala saw Dashi physically stiffen at the mention of her magic, and could practically feel Chase smiling smugly behind her. She gently placed her free hand on Dashi's shoulder. "It's okay," she whispered into his ear, "I'll be fine. We can keep going. Wuya comes first."

"No," he said sourly, looking over his shoulder, "Guan's right. We should give both you and Dojo a break."

"I'd appreciate that," grunted the dragon, "Everybody seems to forget about old Dojo. Except you, Dashi. That's why I like you."

Tala pat Dojo's neck appreciatively. "You're a good dragon, Dojo," she cooed, "and you've been working very hard. You are a valuable member of this team. Thank you."

"See?" said the Dragon, looking back at Guan and Chase with a thumb directed at Tala, "She gets it! You two could stand to appreciate me more! I'm not just some donkey you can ride on whenever you need to go places!"

"Suck up," Chase sneered playfully at Tala. She shrugged.

Dojo's body rumbled as he turned back to the front, grumbling, "It's not like we've spent the whole year together or anything."

Tala sighed, rolling her eyes with a grin. '_All this silly dragon does is complain_,' she thought, running her fingers along his smooth scales, '_but he does have a point_.'

Tala reached up to touch a passing cloud, cold mist numbing her hand. '_It's been a year since we've started looking for Wuya_,' she mused to herself, '_We've all been working hard to hunt her down. Dojo especially. Guan and Chase have been a big help in finding places to hide the Shen Gong Wu, but I'm starting to wonder if what we're doing is the right thing. Poor Dashi hasn't slept much. None of us have, but_…'

Tala stared at the back of her husband's heard, her heart sinking. '_I'm starting to worry about him_.'

Dojo seized up, gasping. "Shen Gong Wu alert!" he cried.

At the same time, the tracking hairs glowed a brilliant red, nearly searing Tala's hand. She yelped and had to clamber over Chase to catch them as they flew out of her hand. Guan snacthed them from the air and passed them back up to Tala with a smile. She nearly crushed the hairs in her fist, growling, "Wuya's close."

"She better be," said Dojo, "My tongue is starting to grow fur."

A red streak darting between the foothills below caught Tala's eye. "There!" she cried.

"After her, Dojo," Dashi ordered.

"Aye, aye, Grand Master Dashi, sir!"

The four monks braced themselves as Dojo shot down like an arrow, straight and sharp. His winding body looped as they lost altitude, coiling for a soft landing with a gentle pat of his paws on the grass. Dashi hit the ground running, his Shimo Staff already transformed into a sword, before Dojo even touched down.

"Dashi, wait!" Tala cried, but he bolted straight into the underbrush.

Tala growled with frustration and ran after him, ignoring Chase shout her name.

Dojo's call of "So, no team meeting?" was the last thing she heard before separating herself from the group.

"Dashi!" Tala called, the forest blurring as she whipped her head back and forth, "Dashi!"

Tala gasped when a hand grabbed her shoulder and yanked her back. She met Dashi's stern eyes, and a finger held to his lips. He nodded his head to the left and motioned for her to follow behind him. They crouched low, following the noise of rustling in the underbrush.

Tala hissed, dropping the hairs when they burnt her again. Dashi grabbed her hand, shushing her. Tala nodded, and Dashi readied the ice sword for their ambush. He gave his own nod and moved forward.

Rustling in the bushes behind them startled the couple into defensive stances, Dashi with his sword in the air and Tala with her hands doused with blue flames. Chase and Guan crashed through, their Wudai Weapons ready for the fight. Tala sighed with relief, easing her hammering heart with a hand at her chest, while Dashi glared at them. He held up his fist and mouthed, "Three...two….one."

The warriors burst into the clearing with battle cries, brandishing their weapons, but stopped short when they came upon a harmless bunny instead of Wuya.

Dashi threw down his Staff with a frustrated grunt.

Tala touched his arm. "Dash-"

He ripped away from her and glared down at Tala. "You said we were close," he hissed.

"We were," insisted Tala.

"Where's Dojo?" Dashi grumbled, stomping off, "We'll camp here for now, since apparently finding a place to sleep is all those tracking hairs are good for."

Chase stood beside Tala, hands folded behind his back. "Trouble in paradi-"

"Don't start," Tala deadpanned, walking away from him. She went after Dashi, keeping herself calm because she knew he wouldn't be.

"I know you're frustrated," she said, finding him glowering at the other side of the riverbank, "but Wuya _is_ out there. We'll find her."

Tala leaned against a tree, folding her arms as Dashi sighed, sitting on a fallen log like an angry toad

"It's not good enough that she's out there," Dashi snapped, chin in his hands, "Wuya should have been arrested at our wedding. It's been a year, and we haven't even tried to start our family because that old hag is still five steps and a leap ahead of us."

He ground out a sigh, shoulders slumping. "I just really wish I could take the first year of our marriage back and been a better husband for you. We should be at our apartment drinking tea and watching the trees bloom with a baby on the way right now, not living out of tents and hunting down a dangerous witch. We shouldn't have to spend our first anniversary on the road."

"Is that what you're upset about?" Tala chuckled, "Dashi, I don't care about having babies. And it's only _one_ anniversary. We'll have more."

Tala could feel his frustration like a solid wall rise up from his back as Dashi stayed silent, watching the river without so much as a twitch. She sat next to him and rested her head on his arm.

"What I care about is stopping Wuya," she said as Dashi wrapped his arm around her shoulder, "You've been wonderful, and you've done all you can with what we have. Don't be so hard on yourself."

There was a long silence before Dashi grumbled, "I care."

"I know you do," Tala murmured, looking beyond the river, wishing desperately that she could fix this for him.

They watched the sun dance along the water. Cicadas rang and grasshoppers buzzed in the summer warmth, mixing with the damp smell of the summer cattails and wild onions with a nostalgic lull.

"I know you want a family, Dash," said Tala, "but we've talked about this. It is best we wait. Things are too dangerous right now, and we shouldn't risk any accidents."

Dashi's voice was brittle, "I know."

Tala nuzzled into him. "I wish I could make this easier for you," she said.

"You can't," he said, resting his head on top of hers, "We just have to find your aunt as soon as possible, and make sure she can't hurt any more people."

"Yeah," Tala sighed, a twinge pulling at her heart. "I… I love you. You know that, don't you? I'm not doing this to hurt you."

"Of course I do," said Dashi, "This was a tough decision for both of us. I know that."

Tala bit her lower lip as the guilt ate at her stomach. She blinked back tears, swallowing down the urge to blurt out the truth. It was better for him not to know.

"I love you, Tala," Dashi whispered, "It doesn't matter how long it takes. We'll arrest Wuya and start our family. I promise."

* * *

"Now, promise me you'll be careful," said Tala, pressing the tracking hairs into Dashi's palm.

The plateau was windy, sweeping up clouds of dust and pushing them over the ledge in sun winked over the sharp spirals of the mountain peaks around them as it faded beneath the dark horizon.

Dashi smiled down at Tala, holding her close. He kissed her forehead, murmuring into her skin, "I promise. We'll see each other soon. I just have one more thing to do."

Chase and Guan waited on Dojo's back as they said their goodbyes to each other. Chase made choking gestures at him when Dashi looked up to wave them off.

"Dashi," said Tala, "One last thing before I go."

"I think we've kissed enough in front of them," Dashi chuckled, "Chase is starting to make faces. Honestly, we could just adopt _him_ and start our family now."

Tala smacked his shoulder. "Don't be mean," she muttered with a grin, "Besides, you don't want to adopt him. Too high-maintenance."

Tala held out her hands, looking at Dashi expectantly with a mischievous grin on her face.

"What?" Dashin asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Give me your hands."

Dashi did as he was told. "The things I do for you," he sighed.

"Be quiet, please."

"Yes, dear."

It was Tala's turn to chuckle, rolling her eyes before turning serious again. Light glowed between their fingertips before seeping into Dashi's hands and disappearing. The tingling feeling it left, like the pins and needles when a foot falls asleep, made Dashi's whole body shiver.

"What was that?" he whispered, meeting the sharp shine in Tala's white eyes. She blinked, and they returned to the silver he was used to.

"I transferred some of my magic to you," Tala murmured gruffly. His heart skipped at the sound of the rawness in her voice mingling with her thickened accent. "Just for in the case you'll need it and the Shimo Staff isn't enough."

Grinning, she added with a shrug, "Spousal privilege. Don't tell Chase."

Dashi scoffed, a little confused. "Why would Chase-"

Tala kissed his cheek before Dashi could finish and ran off, hopping onto Dojo's neck and taking the reins in Dashi's place.

Dashi blushed, touching the cheek she kissed with a light brush of his fingertips. He raised a hand, waving the team off as Dojo circled the mountain top and came back to hover just above him.

"I'll come back to pick you up once I drop them off, Grand Master Dashi," said Dojo.

"I'll be here," said Dashi.

He watched Dojo spiral off into the setting sun, then with a heavy heart took up his pack and began walking down the jagged mountain path.

* * *

It took Dashi three days to find the oasis. He had wandered beneath the blistering sun, lips bleeding and parched, skin so burnt it had peeped and become raw, and it was only when Dashi collapsed did he hear the sound of lapping water. It touched his cheeks like a pair of cool hands, cupping his chin with a gentle caress. The water almost seemed to be laughing at him, whispering for Dashi to come closer ass its fresh scent tickled his nose. "Dashi," it sweetly called to him, just out of Dashi's reach, "Come to me, Dashi."

No… wait. That really _was_ a voice he was hearing.

Dashi opened his eyes as his head was lifted up. With a halo casted around her by the sun, Tala smiled down at him. Her silver eyes, the color popping against her dark skin, matched the clean linen dress. They shone with compassion as she smiled at him, nearly bringing Dashi to tears. And her black curls, free for a change, gently brushed his face like a sweet kiss, beckoning him forward, but Dashi could not find the energy. Dashi smiled back at her weakly.

"Hello," he rasped, crawling toward her, trying to keep his chin in her hands as Tala slowly backed into the pond. "Where are you going?"

He was suddenly yanked away by his ankle, a crackling voice shouting, "Don't go near that water, boy!"

Tala hissed, her teeth becoming needles, and hands sharpening into claws. An old woman hobbled up, waving her cane at the creature.

"Get out of here, you leech!" she shouted, "Find your breakfast elsewhere!"

The fake Tala screeched and dove into the water with a splash, slapping Dashi in the face with her eel-like tail.

"That's a siren," explained the crone, helping Dashi to sit up, "They use the memories of your most treasured loved ones to lure you to your death. Nasty beasts. Here, dear."

The old woman passed Dashi a cup to drink, and just one sip filled Dashi with strength enough for a clear head. He blinked, seeing the world grow a bit brighter. He saw the woman more clearly now, and wished he hadn't.

She wasn't much to look at, round and stout, covered in warts and flopping skin. The only thin parts of the crone were her arms, shaking as if they might break apart and fall off at any second. She smiled expectantly at Dashi with a gap-filled grin, whatever teeth that were left rotting to the gums. Dashi swallowed, trying his best to be polite and not make a face.

"Thank you for saving me," said Dashi, standing on shaky legs, "but I have to return to my mission."

"Oh," crooned the old woman sadly, "but you are still weak, young man. Please, can you not stay the night to rest? Nowhere is a harsh wasteland, filled with dangerous creatures. It is not safe, not even for a warrior as strong and handsome as the legendary Grand Master Dashi."

Dashi arched an eyebrow skeptically. "You know my name?"

The woman's unfocused, most likely blind, eyes held no emotion in them, but she clung to his wrist with a shaky grip like burning rope. "Oh yes," she said, "Of course I do. You, dear boy, have the heart of a dragon."

Dashi gently took his hand back from her, saying, "Look, I appreciate your help, but I need to get going."

She yanked at Dashi's wrist again, keeping him in place with surprising strength. Dashi's eyes widened when he looked back at the smiling old woman.

"Haven't you been wondering how a helpless old woman like me can be living out here all alone?" she asked him slyly, "I can see things before they happen, Grand Master Dashi. Or just Dashi, as I know you prefer."

"How would you know that?"

"I see many things, even when my eyes cannot," explained the crone, "I can look into the hearts of men, and I see in you that you are searching for the Bird of Paradise."

Dashi covered his chest, eyes feeling as though they were about to pop out of his head from growing so wide. He took a half-step away from her as the strange old woman hacked out a raspy chuckle.

"Don't worry, Dashi," said the woman with a twist of her bony wrist, "I wish no harm upon you. I came because you called me. I heard the song of your heart, and meet it with my own."

At once, she began to sing, a screeching sound that reminded Dashi of a terribly out of tune erhu being played with a sheet of iron instead of a bow. The grating sound made him forget all etiquette, and Dashi blocked his ears. "Stop singing, you crazy old hag!" Dashi cried, "Please!"

The woman folded her hands and bowed to him. "I will take you to the Bird of Paradise," she said, "Follow me."

The crone sang that horrible song as they walked, her erratic stride stiff as she zig-zagged along the dusty path, but also surprisingly fast.

"Um, do you need help walking?" he called out to her as she zipped ahead of him, rocking like a wooden doll on straight legs. Under his breath, he grumbled, "Or singing lessons?"

She ignored him and kept singing, waving her hand as a sign for Dashi to keep following her. Dashi sighed and jostled the pack to rest more comfortably on his shoulders.

She had made it up the hill in record time while Dashi struggled to keep up. He wheezed, dragging himself up to stand by clinging to a bolder at the edge of the cliff. Dust choked Dashi, drying out his lungs when he lay on the ground, gasping for breath.

"Get up, Dashi," said a soothing voice.

A blinding light drew Dashi's eyes to the source of the voice. Above him floated a magnificent bird, her fanned wings glittering like diamonds. She was brilliantly glowing, pink feathers shimmering like a blossoming sunrise. The bird craned her swan-like neck to meet his gaze with saucer-like blue eyes. She blinked, revealing Dashi's reflection to him.

"Welcome," the bird hummed.

"My lady," Dashi breathed, instantly turning his face to the ground in the best bow he could muster at the moment.

"Rise, Grand Master Dashi," the Bird of Paradise sang, "You have traveled far to find me. Tell me plainly what you want so that I may grant it to you."

"Bird of Paradise," said Dashi, arching his neck to look up at her, "You are a creature of myth and legend. It is by magic that you were created, and it is the knowledge of all magic that you keep, but there is only one piece of knowledge that I seek to learn from you."

The large bird nodded her head. "Yes," she whispered, her grand voice filling up Dashi's entire being, "I know what it is that you seek, Grand Master Dashi… But I cannot give it to you."

Dashi's hopeful smile waned.

"You must create it yourself," the Bird added, "but I _can_ show you the way."

"How?"

The Bird tucked in her wings, settling into the nest of golden wheat and silver nettles that she sat upon. "Open your heart, Dashi," she told him gently, "and remember that the light can always outshine the darkness. One must only remember to have hope and courage, love and trust, and to never give up. Keep that truth deep inside of your heart, Grand Master Dashi, and the mightiest of the Heylin shall never defeat even the weakest of the Xiaolin."

"Nice tidbit," Dashi snapped, "But how will that help me to stop Wuya? I need something that will lock her away forever."

The Bird cocked her head with a kind, knowing glint in her eyes. "You have it already, my dear," she murmured.

"What?"

Dashi's chest glowed. A box emerged from the light and Dashi caught it with both of his hands, finding it surprisingly heavy. He turned the small thing over in his hands, very unimpressed with its simple design. "A puzzlebox?"

"The person who needs to open it will open it," said the Bird of Paradise, humbly bowing her head, "At the right time, of course."

"And this will trap Wuya for good, huh?" asked Dashi, tossing the box between his hands.

The Bird shook her head. "No, not forever," she told him, "but our world will have peace between itself and realms of magic for a thousand years."

"What happens then?"

The Bird lifted her head, looking down at Dashi seriously. "A child will grow," she said, "an orphan who will be among the greatest of Xiaolin warriors. He will be there, and with the aid of his friends, will stop Wuya the same as you will. He will come to find you and ask for aid. Do not spurn his needs, though the tale he weaves is a strange one. That is my advice to you, Grand Master Dashi."

"After the week I've had wandering this place," said Dashi, rubbing the back of his neck, "I could tell him that I've seen stranger things than whatever story he tries to throw at me. You can count on me to help out the kid, whoever he is."

Seemingly satisfied, the Bird of Paradise bent her head low, poking Dashi's chest with her beak. Where it touched glowed pink before being absorbed by his body. "Your greatest quality, my dear Shoku warrior," she said, "is your gentleness of heart. Let it guide you well, and your mission to rid the world of Wuya's evil for a time will be successful."

Dashi bowed to the Bird of Paradise. "Thank you."

Before he left, the Bird of Paradise called out to him, "But be warned,"

Dashi looked back at her, tucking the puzzlebox into the top flap of his pack.

"Your name will be made famous throughout history after your final battle with Wuya, but it will come at a great price. Your legacy shall be grand, but you shall never see it."

"So long as the world is safe from Wuya," he said, shoving the conical hat over his eyes, "I don't care."

"Very well," said the Bird, "So be it."

Dashi made his way down the mountain, shielding his eyes from the sun as Dojo's silhouette danced its way across the horizon. As he met the eyes of the large dragon as he circled his way around the mountain pass, Dashi smiled.


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

_Thirty__ The Fall of An Age

Chase dodged the punch of a rock giant, leaping up onto its arm. He kicked its head clean off effortlessly, joyfully hooting as he rode the headless body down to the ground. The dead creature broke into pieces as Chase landed on his feet.

"I forgot how much I missed kicking Heylin butt," he hollered as Guan took down another giant beside him, "We've been on the road for so long that I almost thought I'd be rusty!"

Guan smiled at him before roundhousing another giant to the ground, wrapping the Spear of Guan's extending chain around its neck before running off to help Tala take down two of them at once.

A giant reached down for Tala, then screamed when she sliced its hand off at the wrist with her fan, a dark smile on her face. The giant growled, lifting its leg to stomp on her, but Chase kicked behind its knee, knocking the creature forward. "Need a hand?" he asked Tala with the most charming smile he had, holding out an outstretched palm.

Tala's glare was not what he expected. "I had him," she huffed before jogging off toward the next advancing giant, "Find your own kill."

Chase's mouth hung open as he hissed out, "_What_?"

He ran after her, muttering under his breath. More giants came from the forest, melting through the trees seamlessly like ghosts. Some rose from the earth, roaring. No matter how many the three warriors took down, hundreds more appeared in their place.

Tala, Guan and Chase stood side by side, watching as Wuya's army approached. Chase glanced over at Tala, heart flipping when he noticed the sheen of sweat on her paling forehead. "Tala…"

"I'm fine!" she snapped, keeping her eyes on Wuya.

"How much magic have you been using?" asked Guan, steeling himself for the inevitable fight as the monsters came closer.

"I'm not obligated to answer that," she said, raising her fan and crouching into an eager, though slightly wobbly, stance.

"You're so stubborn!" Chase hissed, "That's it. No more Shen Gong Wu, and no more weapon summoning. We'll have to fight Wuya on our own."

Tala actually looked at him, eyes widening. "You can't fight them like that! You're human!"

Chase side-glared her. "We have to. You've lost too much energy, already. I don't want Dashi coming home to a dead wife."

"I agree," said Guan.

"Besides, we've relied far too much on magic to get us by, lately," said Chase, "We _should_ be relying on our martial arts skills. Are we all master, or not?"

"I'm not," he heard Tala grumble quietly.

Chase's heart sank a little at the hurt in her voice, but it couldn't be helped. "Let's go," he said, "Alpha position."

"We can't do that without Dashi-" Tala protested.

"Alpha. _Position_," Chase snapped.

Tala glared at him, but followed suit. "This is a mistake," she growled, "that we are all about to be killed for."

They charged the roaring army, Chase at the head with Tala and Guan flanking him.

"I still think this is a bad idea," Tala deadpanned before launching herself off of the ground and kicking the jaw off of a giant.

"Whatever, Tala!" Chase shouted, using both of his fists to smash apart a giant's knee. The monster crashed into the one in front of it, one giant falling after the other in a wave of toppling rock.

Tala landed on all fours, crouching on top of a fallen giant's back, her braid swinging over her shoulder. "Watch it, you show off!" she hollered at him, "Guan and I almost got crushed!"

Guan was standing on the head of another a few feet down, holding up his Spear as a sign of being okay.

"It's working, isn't it?" Chase shouted back with a laugh, "Now all we have to do is-"

Chase turned to see Wuya smiling at him wickedly, green fire alight in her hand. "Looking for me?"

"Ah, jeez," Chase grumbled.

"I wasn't expecting you, pretty boy," she said, "Where's Dashi?"

"You don't need Dashi," said Chase, "Wouldn't you rather fight a real warrior that _doesn't_ need to siphon off his wife's magic to defeat you?"

"When you meet one," said Wuya, crouching into her own stance, "let me know."

Chae clenched his jaw. "Prepare to lose, hag," he growled, smirking, "_without _the use of Shen Gong Wu."

"Oh," sneered Wuya, "I'm _so_ scared."

"You should be," Chase snarled.

He ran for her, throwing a punch. Wuya dodged the first, but Chase landed the second at her chest, making the witch choke out a satisfying wheeze. Chase grinned and was launched away by her foot before being able to gloat.

Chase dug his heels into the ground when he landed, the slide trapping him in the ground up to his ankles. A giant loomed over him, smaking its fist into its palm with a deep, rumbling chuckle.

"Oh man,"

A shadow loomed overhead, and Chase looked up to see Dojo weaving across the sun. The giant, which had also looked up, was kicked in the face as Dashi landed, grinding it to the ground. Dashi dusted himself off as he looked at Chase from over his shoulder.

"Hey," Dashi said, adjusting his hat, "Need a hand?"

Chase glared at him.

"Dashi!" Tala cried happily, the tail of her braid whipping as she landed from sending yet another giant flying with a kick.

Guan looked as excited as she did, though was too busy cutting a rock giant in half to speak

"DASHI!" screeched Wuya, like a cat whose tail was stepped on.

"Okay, Wuya," said Dashi with a smirk as he crouched low, "Let's do this!"

Tala was suddenly beside Dashi, and snatched the hat from his head. "You're not wearing that."

"What? Hey!"

Tala winked. "Spousal privilege," she explained, "As your wife, I get to nag you."

She tossed the hat behind her as Guan helped Chase get unstuck from the ground.

"_Now_ let's do this," said Tala when all four were in formation.

"Dragons," Dashi ordered, "Alpha Position."

They ran together, Dashi leading the head and Tala at the back, Guan and Chase flanking either side of the Shoku. Dashi instantly began to break apart the giants that came at him, and Chase paused when he noticed the white magic pouring from Dashi's hands, slicing through the rock effortlessly.

Chase whipped his head around to look at Tala doing the same, only she seemed to be having a lot less fun with it, swinging a bit sluggishly in her punches. He looked between Tala's strenuous efforts and Dashi's flawless ones, making the connection as the blood drained from his face. "It can't be," he whispered, "She… _How _did she?"

Anger swelled in Chase's chest, and he surged toward a charging giant, leaping into the air and breaking apart its shoulder with a Crane Kick. He smashed another's head in when he bounced up from the landing, kicking its jaw straight up into the sky. Back on both of his feet, a bang fell into Chase's eyes. He huffed it away before glaring at Dashi as he was taking down more of the giants than the other three combined.

Chase didn't notice the Giant behind him, and was kicked with a grunt straight through the belly of another. The wounded giant's companion looked through the hole, and with both distracted, Chase smashed its head in with his fist, using the wounded as his leverage to gain altitude. The monsters broke apart together, both the upper halves of their bodies smashed to pieces.

"And I did that _without_ any magic," Chase gloated under his breath.

A spiked creature smiled wickedly at Chase, closing in. Chase smiled back and stood his ground, concentrating as he prepared for the finishing move. Chase launched his fist through the rock, and yanked it back out, holding the rock giant's hand in his fist. It stared at him, holding its gaping chest before collapsing to the ground in a pile of rubble.

Dashi had gone after Wuya, both of them practically throwing each other across the battlefield in every which direction as they fought. Finally having enough of their matched strength, Dashi grabbed Wuya's ankle and tossed her to the ground, trapping her between himself, Chase and Guan.

"I believe it's time to send certain evil packing," said Dashi, revealing the puzzle box hidden in his uniform.

The box opened and a fist of light reached out and grabbed Wuya round her middle, dragging her into the awaiting puzzle box while she screeched. The box rattled and writhed in Dashi's hand as the witch tried to break free, but the twin doors to it were locked tight. Silence overtook everything as the box went still.

One by one, the green light within the rock giants dimmed, and they fell to the ground, breaking apart and scattering across the field. Chase blinked at the sight of Dashi smiling down at the puzzle box.

"That's it?"

Dashi looked up at Chase, his smile gone. "That's it."

Chase shoved Dashi hard, making him drop the box. "What the hell!"

"Ow," Dashi grumbled, "A 'thank you' would be nice, you know."

Chase drove a finger into Dashi's chest, getting into his face. "You used magic on her," he growled, "You used Tala's magic! How?!"

Dashi fell, landing on his back. Chase's shadow looming over him. "You know how weak Tala gets when she's using her magic to power two or more things at once," Chase snapped, "You're her husband. You should be protecting her, not bleeding her dry!"

"Is this true, Dashi?" asked Guan, his eyes narrowing with worry, "You used Tala's magic to defeat Wuya?"

Dashi looked at them both, wide-eyed.

"And where's Tala?" Chase demanded, "Do you even know if she's okay?!"

Dashi scrambled to his feet, running. "Tala!"

"Oh, _now_ he's concerned," Chase spat, watching Dashi call out for her among the fallen rocks.

"Don't be that way, Chase," sighed Guan, "You know that Dashi-"

"Stop defending him!" Chase shouted, "I'm so sick of you and Tala sweeping his selfishness under the rug like he's some flawless hero! You guys swear that he cares about us, but look at this! Look at what he's done to her! You _really_ think I would have made a worse leader than him? At least I own up to admitting what I really want! _Dashi_ just parades his thirst for power around like he's protecting the greater good with it! Tala called me a tyrant, but has she even taken a good look at the jerk she married?!"

"That's not true," said Guan, "This jealousy is starting to get to your head, Chase Young. Look at him."

Chase looked back at Dashi frantically digging in the rubble, crying for his wife. Guan and Chase watched on as Dashi grew weaker and weaker, giving up as the rocks got bigger and heavier to move. Dashi collapsed, sobbing.

"Does that look like a power-hungry tyrant to you?" murmured Guan.

"No," Chase squeaked, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Let's go help him," Guan suggested quietly.

"Dash," said Chase while he and Guan stood over him.

Dashi wiped at his face with his sleeve, dirt staining his skin. "She's not here," he croaked.

Dashi looked up at Chase, letting his tears fall. "You were right," he whispered, "I should have protected her. I shouldn't have used Tala's magic like that. I weakened her when she needed that energy the most, and now she's gone."

"I'm sorry," said Chase, "Dashi, I-"

Rocks began to crumble deeper within the rubble pile. A large bolder in particular rolled away with a loud crash, a dust cloud rushing up from from it. There was a gasp, and then coughing. All three of the men brightened, immediately recognizing who it was.

"I'm okay," Tala choked out from the rocks as she slid down the pebbly hill, "Just a little bruised."

Dashi stood and caught her as she made her way down, swinging Tala in the air with a crushing hug as he began to laugh. He held Tala close where they stood, crying into her neck.

Tala's face was giddy as she blinked, hugging him back. Chase chuckled at the confused way she stared blankly into space, patting Dashi's back with a rather shocked "There, there. We're fine."

Dashi pulled away from Tala. "How did you survive that?" he cried, cupping her face in his hands.

She smiled at him, dazed, with half-lidded eyes. "Takes a lot to kill a witch," Tala slurred, "but not too much to weaken. I'm done, now."

Tala fell like a stone, and Dashi caught her just before her head smacked the ground.

"She's exhausted," said Dashi, an eyebrow arched as he smirked down at Tala, "...I think. Probably used whatever she had left to protect herself in there."

Chase grimaced. "We should get Tala back to the Temple so she can rest," he suggested, "Guan?"

"On it," said Guan, already walking over to take Tala from Dashi's arms.

Chase placed a hand on Dashi's shoulder before he could follow Guan down the hill. "Dashi."

Dashi looked back at Chase.

"Look, I know you've been trying to do the right thing," he told Dashi, "But you really need to consider what's best for everybody, not just what the Grand Master expects of you."

Dashi glared at him. "That's not what happened."

"What was it, then?" Chase snapped, "Because you sure as hell weren't thinking of Tala when you were fighting Wuya so brazenly with that power."

Dashi looked away, balling his fists. "I did what I had to do to keep everyone safe. Especially Tala. Don't judge me for my actions until you understand my reasons."

"I understand your reasons," said Chase, "Which is why I'm about to tell you this."

He grabbed the collar of Dashi's uniform and dragged him close. "You may be her husband, but nobody knows Tala like I do," Chase hissed, "I'm the closest friend she has, and as you well know, I am _very_ protective of my friends. If you ever use Tala's magic like that again, I will not hesitate to destroy you."

Dashi ripped his collar away, glaring at Chase. "Don't worry, I won't."

He began to march back to the Temple himself before looking at Chase and pointing a finger. "And you," he said, "stay away from my wife. Don't think I haven't figured out by now what you've really been after."

"Oh, really?" Chase smirked.

"I mean it, Chase," he said, "Keep your distance. She's married. Get over it."

Chase scoffed.

"This is your final warning," said Dashi, shoving his conical hat back on and walking down the hill.

Chase watched him go, trying not to laugh. "Please," he said to the wind, "as if someone as insignificant as you can keep two legends apart."

* * *

**AN: Five more chapters left! Alert, alert! This is not a drill! The final countdown begins!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

_Thirty One__ A Rusted Chain Surely Breaks

Tala heaved into the bucket for a third time, groaning as a maid wiped her forehead with a wet cloth. An elderly woman touched Tala's forehead with trembling fingers, murmuring, "No fever."

"How is that possi-" Tala vomited again, and when she was done, allowed a third maid to take the bucket away. Tala clutched her stomach, curling into herself with clenched teeth.

"Oh dear," said the elderly maid, "I know what this is."

"I'm dying," Tala whined, "Tell me I'm dying. I can take it."

"What time was the last that you and your husband…"

Tala snapped her eyes open wide. "No," she squeaked.

"Your stomach has looked a bit swollen in the past several weeks, dear," suggested the maid, "and your sickness has only just started,"

"Nooo," Tala whined, squeezing her eyes shut, "We weren't even trying!"

"Well, these things _do_ occur naturally without the focus of starting a family," said the maid, "especially with young couples such as yourself and Grand Master Dashi."

Tala whined, curling her legs in as another wave of nausea hit her.

"Honored Trainee," the maid murmured, rubbing between Tala's shoulder blades, "Please consider the possibility that you may very well be-"

"Don't say it," Tala snapped.

"Pregnant," the woman finished solemnly.

"Why is this morning sickness so violent?" Tala cried, "Are you sure I'm not just sick? Swollen stomachs can be attributed to fever, too!"

"All pregnancies are different, my lady," said the maid with a soft smile, "Your next child might not make you sick at all."

"My _next _one?" Tala cried, "I'm not even sure about the first!"

"Grand Master Dashi should be arriving back today," said a maid around Tala's age brightly, looking up from scrubbing the bucket, "You can tell him the wonderful news when he returns! What timing!"

Tala groaned, stuffing a pillow over her head. "Joy."

* * *

"Blade of the Nebula!"

A whirlwind whipped up the scattered pebbles and gathered them up nicely into a mountainous pile. Tala sighed, looking at the nunchucks in her hand. Shaking her head, she smirked at the memory of first using them, still thinking its design was one of Dashi's worst ideas….. well, close second to the Sweet Baby Among Us.

She used another whirlwind to clear the path in front of her and lifted her head to Chase leaping over her to smash a large boulder in-two with a flying kick. He landed with a smile and a wink before running off toward the next one.

The construction had taken weeks, cracking the larger peices of rubble with picks and dragging large boulders away with rope, even with the help of Tala and the Wudai warriors. Dashi had been away for the past couple of weeks, campaigning and cleaning up the messes Wuya's destruction had left behind, all the while hiding the rest of the Shen Gong Wu.

Green flashed across blue as Dojo's winding body descended over the hill, toward the Xiaolin Temple. Tala shielded her eyes from the sun as she blinked, watching him land among the boulders and shattered rock. Tala's heart skipped, her hand sliding to her stomach.

The Blade of the Nebula returned to its sword form as she ran to him, heart pounding. "Dashi!" she called, smiling when their eyes met.

Dashi smiled too, spreading his arms out as Tala ran into him, wrapping her up in a hug. Tala hit him with force enough to knock the rice hat from his head. It rested at his back, held up by a chord around his neck, and was left ignored as he embraced her. Tala reached up and kissed Dashi, giggling as their smiles made it awkward. She laughed into Dashi's chest as he rested his chin on the top of her head, a chuckle rumbling him.

"We did it," he told her, "She's gone."

Tala pulled away. "Dashi," she said, staring up at him with a trembling smile, "There is something I have to tell you. We-"

Movement above Dashi caught Tala's eye, and she pushed him, shouting, "Look out!"

Dashi grabbed Tala's wrist and pulled her back, twisting them both around. Tala turned just in time to see the rocks topple over him, eyes wide before he disappeared beneath them.

"NO!" she screeched, throwing herself at the boulders. Tala pushed the first away and began to dig. "Dashi!" she screamed, "Dashi!"

She dug and dug until she found him, her arms bleeding and raw. Tala wasn't sure if it was his blood or hers on her palm as she wiped at his neck and face, trying to help Dashi breathe. Men were shouting orders, but all Tala could hear was her husband's raspy wheezes while his unfocused eyes searched the sky.

"It's okay," she cooed, sucking back tears, pressing the wound on his neck, "_Tá sé ceart go leor, mo ghrá. _You will live! It will be okay!"

Dashi gasped, gurgling as blood seeped through Tala's fingers. "_Is breá liom thú. Is breá an leanbh leat_," Tala begged, sobbing, "_Beidh tú beo. Tá brón orm nach raibh mé ag iarraidh dó! Ba mhaith liom é, geallaim. le do thoil beo_!"

Chase pulled Tala to her feet by her elbow. "NO!" she screamed, fighting him until Guan held her back, "No, Chase, stop! STOP!"

"Get her out of here!" Chase yelled.

"Let me go!" Tala cried, "Leave me with him, please!"

"Go, Tala!" Chase ordered, "Let me handle this."

"He's my husband!"

"You can't see him like this," Guan told her gently, pulling her back.

Tala buckled, a sharp pain shooting through her stomach.

"Are you alright?" Guan asked, shaking as Tala clung to him, "Are you injured?"

Tala's nails dug into Guan's arm as she held on to her stomach, her blood freezing into ice. Her eyes went wide. "I have to sit down."

Guan helped Tala away as Chase leaned over Dashi, saying something to him. Tala watched him comfort Dashi between the yells and frantic running of the men around them, doing all they could to save Dashi.

Tala held her stomach. "Stay alive," she begged.

* * *

"Dashi," Chase murmured, pressing Dashi's neck, "Look at me, Dash."

Dashi wheezed, weakly lifting a hand. Chase grabbed it, squeezing as Dashi's fingers began to run cold. "It's okay, bud," he whispered, "You can go."

Chase slowly lifted his hand from Dashi's neck, watching Dashi's eyes widen slightly, looking at Chase with panic. He choked and gagged as the wound bled freely, never blinking. Chase didn't blink either. The surrealness of the men shouting around them and the slick on his hands took away everything Chase knew he should have felt. It was like having cotton filling his head instead of thoughts, blocking all of the harsh noise and even the sensation of his own heartbeat. Nothing… nothing… nothing. He just watched Dashi struggle for breath until, finally, Dashi's hand trembled in his and went stiff.

"I'll take care of her," Chase promised as the last light in Dashi's eyes faded, a star swallowed up by the blackness of night.

Chase closed Dashi's eyes and wiped the blood from his hand on Dashi's shirt before standing, meeting Guan's eyes with a solemn nod. He looked at Tala, but her eyes were on Dashi's body, arms wrapped around her stomach as she screamed.

* * *

Tala stood in the parlor. The sickly sweet incense burned her nose, making her queasy. Alone with the casket, Tala stared at the closed lid, the world around her eyes dry and blurry. She held her stomach, unable to do much else but stare, focusing on nothing.

"Please don't touch me," she croaked the second she felt the pressure of a hand hovering over her shoulder.

Whoever it was took their hand away, and Tala recognized their voice when they sighed.

Chase came up beside her, looking at the casket too. He touched the wood with the tips of his fingers before looking at her. The vibrant life that usually danced in Chase's eyes had become a dull, tired sheen of ocher, looking quite a bit orange thanks to the redness around them.

"You've been crying," said Tala, quietly.

"You haven't been," Chase whispered back.

Tala looked back at the casket. "He wanted to have children so badly," she trembled, bundling the cloth of her uniform in her fist, "He hardly ever stopped talking about making a big family once Wuya was gone. I never had the heart to tell him that wasn't what I wanted. I was glad that we took such a long time to track her down. Every time we came close, I… I prayed she'd escape."

Chase's eyebrows furrowed. "You didn't want children?"

Tala shook her head, chin quivering with a smile. "I didn't want them to turn out like me."

Her chest bubbled and Tala broke, everything within her seizing up and letting go in a rush of tears. "Now I never will," she sobbed, "He'll never know how I felt!"

Tala punched the wall and hissed with pain when her fist came back, peices of the crumbled gap sticking to her bleeding knuckles. "Argh!" she cried, holding her wrist.

Chase took a concerned half-step forward, but Tala glared at him with teeth bared. "I'm pregnant," she hissed through streaming tears.

Chase stared at Tala wide-eyed, and Tala barked out a laugh.

"_Figures_, doesn't it?" she growled, "I think this is the universe's way at getting back at me for not wanting a child like any normal wife should. Take my husband from me and give me a baby! Well I-"

Tala wanted more than anything to punch the wall again, but thought better of it, running both her hands through her hair instead, heaving tears. "It's not right!" she squeaked, "It's not right!"

Chase gathered Tala into a hug, and she let him, sobbing and sobbing as she squeezed him back.

"I'm so sorry, Tala," Chase murmured, smoothing her hair.

"I know," Tala choked, "I'm just glad you didn't leave him alone. Dashi didn't deserve to die that way."

Chase was very still, and very quiet. Tala looked up to see Chase staring down at her, his jaw clenched, but the rest of his face unreadable. She pulled away from him cleaning her face with the heel of her palm.

"I want to ask you something," she rasped, feeling very raw and very numb.

Chase's face was almost cold. "Anything."

"The baby," she said, "It will need someone to look after it. Dashi and I had already talked about potential guardians for our children, and I know you and I haven't exactly been the best of friends lately, but you have always been there for me, which leads me to believe that I can actually trust you with this."

Tala's sigh made her whole body shiver, stealing any warmth she had left from the pit of her stomach. "I don't expect you to say yes, but," she said, looking into Chase's widening eyes, "I wanted to know if you would like to be the baby's godfather."

Chase swallowed, a shine bringing light back into the burning amber. "Of course."

* * *

**AN: Fun fact- This was my shortest chapter at six pages, but my longest to plan out when I first made the story's outline. It took me forever to figure out how I wanted Dashi's death scene to look. Glad to know it came out so short and sweet. I'm all-together satisfied with it, and hope you are too. **

**Irish translation:**

Tá sé ceart go leor, mo ghrá. - **It's okay, my love. **

_Is breá liom thú. Is breá an leanbh leat. Beidh tú beo. Tá brón orm nach raibh mé ag iarraidh dó! Ba mhaith liom é, geallaim. le do thoil beo_!- **I love you. The baby loves you. You will live. I'm sorry I didn't want it! I want it, I promise. Please live!**


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

_Thirty Two__ Castles of Sand

Summer was beginning to fade. Many leaves, though mostly green, had turned yellow and fell to the ground. Some still were, lazily spinning about in the breeze as a golden shower. The black pebbles of the bamboo path skittered ahead of her as Tala's shuffling kicked them up while she lumbered about, struggling to keep from tripping over the feet she could not see.

Tala was five months into the pregnancy now, the growing baby accompanied by frightful headaches, swollen ankles, and a monstrously large belly for someone so used to being small. The strain on her back was demanding, and sometimes -like now- Tala felt the struggle to breathe as she walked. She missed her husband in this time more than ever, wishing that he were here beside her to help laugh the pain away. Dashi always knew how to make her smile.

Chase and Guan had both been a major comfort, doing their best to keep Tala smiling even when all she wanted to do was walk into the little pond by her apartment and never walk out. She was hardly ever alone anymore, switching between visiting their apartments often to avoid being reminded of the ghosts in hers.

Tala walked down the path to Chase's apartment, leaves brushing her outstretched palm as they fell from the trees. She walked into the open door of the apartment, not bothering to knock. Chase knew that she was coming, and she assumed that he would already be waiting with the tea for their daily talk.

Tala stopped short in the hallway when she heard a strange voice on the other side of the door. It held an odd tune, like honey gliding across glass. Slow, thick, and smooth. "Chase," it said, "Please reconsider what I'm offering you. This is the opportunity of a lifetime! And it could very well be your last chance to fulfill the prophecy, what with Tala being completely off board, thanks to the baby and all."

"No!" Tala jolted at Chase's bark. "I won't do it! We've already lost Dashi. The team cannot be weakened by me turning to the darkside."

Tala gasped, pressing her ear closer to the crack in the door. She peeked through, watching Chase pour tea into two cups. Whoever he was talking to was out of her sight range.

"You weren't all that concerned about losing Dashi when you stood over his corpse," said the stranger, their sneer vicious, "You sat there and stared at him as he died, mocking your supposed friend about taking care of his wife for him."

"That's not-" Chase hissed, then suddenly looked up.

Tala whipped her back to the wall and held her chest, forcing herself to breathe normally as her heart fluttered. She stiffened when she heard Chase's footsteps come close. The door clicked as he pushed it fully closed, but Tala did not breathe again until she heard him wander back. Tala leaned against the door, straining to listen.

"I was doing what I had to," Chase spat.

Tala pressed her hand to her mouth.

"To win Tala back," snorted the stranger, "Best way to get someone back on track with a mission is to take away their distractions."

"To _save_ Tala," said Chase, "Dashi had no idea how to handle her magic. If she continued to let him use it like that, she was going to die. It's a good thing he died first, too. Tala didn't know she was pregnant. We could have lost both her _and_ the baby."

Tala looked down at her large belly, feeling a kick. She rubbed where the sensation was as she listened to the other voice coo, "Face it, Chase. You murdered him to save your own hide. Dashi took her away from you. If Tala really is the Pearl you're after, you couldn't just let her play house with the Shoku warrior and forget who she is, now could you? The only way you'll truly fulfill that prophecy is if both of you are in agreement in changing the world of magic for the better. Tala was willing to give that up for some man who wanted to use her to _get rid_ of magic! You had no choice _but_ to act."

There was a long silence, nothing but the pounding of Tala's heart, twisting her stomach into a tickling ball of nerves, until the smooth voice spoke again. "You're already dark. You proved that by standing by as Dashi bled out beside you. So why not embrace it?"

Tala heard something heavy slide across the floor. She shook her head, throat running dry.

Another pause, until, "I won't do it."

The heavy thing, whatever it was, was pushed back.

"Now, get out," Tala heard Chase snarl, "She'll be here any minute. You and I are done talking."

Tala rushed down the hallway when she heard him walk back toward the door, just barely making it outside when she heard it click open.

* * *

Clouds hid the sun as they passed overhead, darkening the blue of the koi pond. Tala sat beside it, not bothering to care that she might not be able to stand back up on her own. Her thoughts were on what had just happened, her hand gliding against her cheeks to wipe away the tears.

Tala's jaw hurt from clenching it, and a fire ripped apart her chest as she swallowed back a scream. '_My best friend_,' she thought, ripping up the grass with her clawing fingers, '_How could he have done this? I finally began to trust him again, and he_-'

"You shouldn't be sitting alone out here," said a voice above her. Tala knew who it was but looked up anyway. Chase was leaning over the railing of the bridge. He chuckled, his smile crinkling his cheeks and adding an extra shine to his eyes, ignoring her glare like usual.

"That's the point," she told him, looking down at her bump. Tala placed a hand over it, feeling a kick. She smiled and rubbed her thumb over the place where she had felt the sensation.

"I got worried when you didn't show up," said Chase, "You know you shouldn't be by this pond when you…"

Chase trailed off when she looked away from him, her jaw clenched.

Tala did not hear him walk down from the bridge, but saw Chase's shadow come up behind her. He sat beside Tala, exaggerating a content sigh and asked, "What do you think it is?"

Tala flicked a glare at him, but Chase acted oblivious and continued to smile. She looked back at the koi pond, her hand hovering protectively over her stomach. Something did not feel quite right. The baby kicked again, as if in agreement wit her. Chase inched in closer, his eyes on the bump.

"Are you okay?" he asked, lightly touching where the baby had moved, "Did it kick?"

Tala could not help but jump at his touch when their fingers met, a soft gasp of surprise hiccuping out of her. Chase ripped his hand away, startled. She looked at him, trying her best not to look angry.

A worried line creased Chase's brow, not doing a very good job of covering up the open hurt in his eyes, "Tala?"

Tala swallowed back the reprimand hanging on the end of her tongue and instead told him, "Help me up."

She grasped the hand he offered, and wobbled to her feet when he rose. Tala instantly let go when she was stable, dropping his hand like hot iron. She wrung hers together awkwardly.

Chase looked at Tala's hands then to her face, the amber of his eyes harsh as a blaze before mellowing out to a candle's flare. He covered the flash of anger with a smile, but she had already seen it.

"Look," he said, "I understand why you want to be alone, but you can't keep moping around like this."

"If you understand," Tala snapped, "then why are you so insistent on bothering me?"

"Because companionship will do you some good," answered Chase, brushing away a tear from her cheek with his thumb, "Nobody should have to go through a pregnancy while they're in mourning alone. Especially not you."

Tala used her palms to wipe away the rest, feeling her face crumble.

"I hate seeing you suffer like this," Chase sighed, plucking a small leaf from her hair.

"Let me help you," he added gently, "You don't have to do this on your own."

Tala backed away from him. "Stop touching me," she growled.

Chase scoffed. "Tala," he said, "Come on,"

"_Stoptar do bhéal_!" she hissed, "I heard you in your apartment!"

Chase's smile froze.

"Is it true?!" Tala cried, "Did you really just sit there and watch him die?!"

"Tal,"

"Don't you _dare_ 'Tal' me!" Tala screamed, "My husband is dead, and I'm stuck with a baby I don't even want! Because of you!"

"You're not stuck," Chase cooed gently, "We're here for you. We're _all _here for you."

Tala backed away from his outstretched hand, refusing to even blink. Chase's eyes were brimming with sweetness enough to make her nauseous. "_I'm_ here for you."

"Asking for your help was a mistake," Tala hissed.

Chase's mask dropped again and the anger returned, a frightening fire.

"You're serious?" he snapped back, "Why do you keep pushing me away when I am literally the only one looking out for you?!"

"I don't care," she said, "You've driven yourself mad with jealousy. You let my husband bleed to death because you just could not handle that I was focusing on something else _other_ than you!"

The fire in her stomach melted into an icy puddle. "When will it end, Chase?" Tala whispered, "This isn't like you. You aren't a murderer, you aren't evil, you aren't the Crown. This obsession of yours _needs_ to _stop_."

Chase smiled again, but his anger morphed it into a toothy sneer. He snorted. "You're kidding," he laughed, looking away from her, "You're kidding me."

"When will you see that this obsession of yours is going to kill you?" she insisted, "You may not be the Shoku like you've wanted, but you have a good life here with _us_, me and Guan. Is that not enough for you?"

Chase was speaking to himself, muttering under his breath and chuckling into his knuckles, "You're _really_ kidding me. You're joking. I can't believe this is happening. You really still can't see it, can you?"

"Chase," said Tala, "please calm down. It will be alright. We can fix this. I'm even willing to forgive you. We can tell the Elders what happened, and-"

Chase turned on her, laughing. "You really don't get it, do you?" he asked.

"Chase,"

"I was trying to save your life!" he shouted.

"What are you talking about?" Tala demanded.

"Dashi was using you!" Chase shouted, "You just couldn't see it because you were too busy fawning over how perfect he was! You called _me_ a tyrant, but you didn't think twice about what _he_ wanted from you! You collapsed during the battle with Wuya, and disappeared! You were underneath hundreds of dead rock giants! You should have died! All because Dashi thought it was a good idea to practically suck you dry so he could kill your aunt! He didn't even think about the consequences until it was too late! That's not a selfless leader, Tala! That's _not_ a good husband! Even after you were safe, what makes you think he wouldn't have done it again?!"

"That was-"

"What makes you think he wouldn't have done it again?" Chase demanded, "Tell me."

"Grand Master Wei will hear about this," snapped Tala, "Mark my words, Chase Young: I gave you a second chance, and you ruined it. He will hear about how you murdered your own Shoku warrior in cold blood over some petty jealousy and a few ancient words, and I swear to you that it won't be a witch they burn on that pyre."

Chase's smile was wild. "The Grand Master," he echoed, "You know, I wouldn't be so sure about that. After all, witches are his favorite thing to burn, beside kindling."

"Don't you dare try to scare me," Tala clipped.

"If you don't find a husband to secure your place here before the baby is born," said Chase, taking a breath, "the Elders will kill you when it comes. A single mother is one thing, but a vengeful witch… who's to stop them from saying you'll want to kill us all for what happened to your husband?"

Tala took another step back. "You're lying," she accused through her teeth, "You always lie to me! Always!"

"Lying?" he chuckled, "_I'm_ the one lying?"

Chase stepped forward and Tala walked back, reaching out for the bridge's wooden beam behind her to be sure that she would not fall.

"I am the only friend you have here," he said this while pointing to himself, the gleam in his eye wild and venomous, "I _love _you! Do you think those Elders give a damn about you? _They're_ the ones who are lying, Tala! They will take your baby and you will be put on that fire like they should have done years ago!"

"Stop!" Tala cried, though deep down she believed him.

"The Elders hate you! Grand Master Wei will take this opportunity to make you gone! Dashi's dead, so the Cycle is broken," he continued, "It can't protect you anymore, Tala!"

Chase held out a hand to her, the terrifying fire in his eyes dimming to tired embers, "But I can."

Tala stared at it, disgusted. She clung to the pole for dear life, trying in vain to steady her breathing.

"Please, Tala," Chase said, appearing to be calming down himself, "Let me help you."

"I can't," she told him, "Not when you're like this. I no longer know who you are, and can hardly stand the sight of you."

The embers of Chase's eyes erupted into an inferno, his face contorting with the rage of it. He snatched her arm and yanked Tala off of the bridge. "Why can't you see that I'm trying to help you?" he shouted, "All I want is to protect you!"

Chase let go, ripped away from her by Tala's punch to his jaw. He grunted painfully and spat blood onto the ground, giving Tala enough time to escape. She waddled as fast as she could up the bridge.

"Tala," she heard Chase cry, his voice strangling itself with emotion, "Tala, I'm sorry! I'm sorry about Dashi! I'm sorry about everything! Please!"

She did not look back.

* * *

**AN: Mmmmm, why ya' lyin,' why ya always lyin'~ **

**Irish Translation:**

_Stoptar do bhéal!- _**Shut your mouth!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

_Thirty Three__ New Plan

Tala had not talked to him in three days.

Chase dodged Guan's Spear, blocking it with the Kwan-Dao. Guan advanced, keeping strong, but Chase still found him too slow and blocked every aggressive hit. Between each blow, Chase saw Tala watching them over Guan's shoulder, tucked into herself beneath the shade of a tree beside Master Young. When she realized that he was looking at her, however, Tala turned her face away.

One of Chase's blocks was off, and Guan slammed the Kwan-Dao out of his hands. It splashed into the sand. Chase skittered back, his glare wide. Guan broke stance, his eyes narrowed with worry. "I'm sorry, my friend," he said, "I had not realized that you were distracted."

"I wasn't," Chase snapped, smacking the Spear of Guan out of his hands.

He steeled himself when Master Young stormed his way over to them, robes catching the wind in wings of blue and white. He nodded to Guan as a dismissal, then glared at his son, hissing "What is the matter with you?"

Chase snatched up his Kwan-Dao from the sand. "Nothing," he growled.

"The Elders will be making their decision any day," reminded Master Young sharply, leaning in, "Stop acting so irrationally, or you will find yourself losing the Shoku position a second time!"

"The position doesn't matter."

"Of course it does!" cried Master Young, "It's everything you've worked hard for!"

He looked over his shoulder at Tala and Guan talking to each other under the tree, then looked back at Chase, snarling, "I won't let you throw it all away over some girl. Not again."

"I don't want it, dad," Chase hissed. He smirked. "And _Tala_ is not just 'some girl.' I have something else in mind. Something we both know is far bigger than just becoming a Grand Master Dragon."

Master Young seemed to have swallowed his tongue, Horrified eyes wide with rage. "I warned you about that prophecy so that you would see the insanity in Grand Master Wei's calculations and stay away from it," Master Young choked out, "not so that you could justify your erratic behavior! Shape up and fight for something that is of actual substance, and stop chasing fairytales. You will not be given a third shot at Shoku if this one fails."

Chase sneered at his father's back as Master Young walked off, dismissing Chase with a disgruntled wave of his hand. Chase's eyes shifted to Tala, laughing at something Guan had said.

"That's not the only thing," he whispered.

Tala made a point of not looking at him, though Chase could tell by her stiff shoulders that she felt him staring. Chase sighed. Well, at least she hadn't told anyone about what had happened between them the other day.

'_Just look at me_,' he begged, '_Just show me we'll be okay. Just like you always do. I know that's why you haven't told anyone. Come on, Brave Girl._'

But she didn't. Instead, Chase watched as Guan helped Tala up. She held Guan's arm and the two walked side by side down the path leading out of the Training Sands.

Chase balled his fists, glaring daggers at Guan's back as they disappeared. Heat licked his fingers, and Chase took a deep breath, suppressing it with a shudder. "Not yet," he told himself.

"Dad, wait up," Chase called, jogging over to Master Young with a grin.

Master Young looked at Chase, tired eyes dulling the harshness of his usual glower. "We aren't discussing the prophecy, Chase. It is a waste of time."

"No, Dad, I," Chase's grun wavered into an uncertain smile, "I've decided you're right. I should be focusing on the Shoku position. Nothing's more important than my rank."

Master Young's eyes brightened, but the grim line of his mouth stayed the same. "Well, well. I knew you'd come to your senses, Chase," he clipped, "Meet me at the Council Chamber. We are reviewing between you and Guan, tonight. I want you there to receive the honor when you're named."

"When I'm named," Chase echoed with a deep grin, "So the decision's been made, then."

Master Young's smile was identical, down to the dimple in his left cheek. "It may as well have," he said, "You just have to be willing to take it."

* * *

Chase snuck in by way of the back doors leading in from Grand Master Wei's library, just as his father had instructed. He hid behind the marbled pillar, listening to the Elder Council argue while he was blanketed underneath the cover of darkness.

"Order, order," chimed Grand Master Wei from his Grand Master's seat.

The smugness in his pompous voice made Chase's skin crawl. Fire flared into his hands again, and Chase's stomach twisted. He rubbed his hands together, reminding himself to breathe. "Not. _Yet_." he hissed to himself, and the heat quelled, leaving pins and needles in its fade.

"We all know why we have gathered tonight," said the Grand Master, "Now, please let us be seated and begin the meeting."

A wrinkled man, bent over and broken, wandered into the center of the jade circle. His too-large head bobbed up and down, the skin of his neck flopping as he shook with the strain of his own voice. "Now… to commence... the voting... for which… man shall be chosen... as the next … leader… of... the Xiaolin Dragons. First order…"

He buried his swollen nose into the scroll he was holding before peeking up with squinting eyes and a quivering smile. "Guan."

One by one, nearly every man in the room lifted their hands silently. All but Master Young and one or two others showed the flat of their palms, contently smiling. Master Young's eyes met Chase's, his jaw clenched. Chase nodded to him, not wanting his father to give either him or himself away, and Master Young looked back to the rest of the circle.

"Chase… Young," the old man nearly hummed Chase's name, a sound that reminded Chase of dusty scrolls scattering onto the floor.

Master Young slowly raised his hand, looking to Grand Master Wei on his throne. He was the only one. Grand Master Wei's eyes twinkled before he stood, peacock-colored robes spilling over the sides of his seat before slipping down the steps behind him like a slinking cat.

The Grand Master's steady voice beat in time with the click of his shoes on the tiles. "It. Is. Decided."

Grand Master Wei stopped to peer down at Chase's father, his nose turned up with an elegant twist of his neck.

"A shame," the Grand Master's murmur resonated across the hall, "To see disappointment a second time. It must be exhausting… You look tired, Keyota."

Chase's father sat there, silence and stone, as the Grand Master passed him.

Chase's hands burned until he couldn't take it anymore. He stepped out, roaring, "I won't accept this!"

Master Young shot to his feet, his eyes bulging with terror. Chase met his stare, his own just as wide and angry.

The Grand Master's robes shimmered as he swung around. "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?" Grand Master Wei bellowed, "Get out of this chamber immediately!"

"I will not stand for this," Chase growled, "You promised the position to _me_!"

"I promised you nothing, boy!" Grand Master Wei spat, "Judging by your selfishness, you are not and never have been fit to become the Shoku warrior! Now be gone, Chase Young!"

"You groomed me for this!" Chase hissed, "You trained me yourself, made me keep your secrets-"

"Enough!"

"You forced me to push myself in training, to do your dirty work-"

"I said enough!"

"I did and said all of these _horrible_ things-"

"ENOUGH!"

Chase's glower was made of both ice and fire. "All because _you_ promised me something that was never intended to be given. You didn't choose Dashi for his skill, Grand Master."

Chase smiled. His voice was raw, "You and I both know that. I'm done being your puppet."

His own tongue tasted bitter, making Chase lose his fire. He turned his back. "I'm out of here."

"Chase!" he heard his father call after him, but for whatever reason Master Young did not follow.

Chase smiled as the shadows swallowed him whole.

* * *

"Oh dear, that _was_ a doozy," sneered Hannibal Bean from his perch, "Did any of them even bother to check how you are? I'm guessing not, seeing as how not even your own father ran after you."

Chase huffed. "Doesn't matter," he clipped, "I hate all of them."

"And that is exactly why you should consider switching sides," said the bean.

Hannibal's bird mount stretched its wings with a screech, agreeing with its master. The shadows of the forest danced around Chase as he looked up at the horrid thing staring down at him with beady black eyes. Hannibal was no better, the mealworms in its poison smile twisting Chase's stomach.

"Why would I be so foolish as to turn to the Heylin side?" asked Chase, smiling, "Soon I will become a Xiaolin Dragon."

Chase kept thinking back to his father kneeling on the ground as Grand Master Wei sneered at him. Dragon or not, Chase knew his place was here at the Xiaolin Temple, even if only to aid Master Young in some sort of campaign against Grand Master Wei's corruption and end it once and for all.

He hoped that this little act of stubborn pride would be enough to make the strange creature give up its business, but the bean only chuckled.

"You poor, naive fool," said Hannibal, "You'll never become a Dragon. Your place in history shall be stolen from you by the one you consider closest."

"No," Chase snapped, " I do not believe you."

Hannibal's smile was raw and rancid, like meat left out in the sun. "Oh, I believe that you do."

The bird's black eyes glowed and stepping into the light of them was Guan, strapped into the armor of a Xiaolin Earth Dragon. Chase's stomach dropped at the sight of him. Guan must have already been given the position. It wouldn't have surprised him, knowing Wei. How else could this vision have been conjured?

The vision of Guan said, "I have stood in the shadow of Chase Young for far too long. Soon, it will be he who stands in _my_ shadow."

It suddenly all made sense. Chase's entire body began to burn as he realized. Guan was his closest friend, and was always supportive, and yet he was always there. Always one step behind to catch Chase when he fell. Guan was always as close to Chase as possible, learning everything about his weaknesses and strengths. Including Tala.

Chase swallowed back a yell, vibrating with rage. Guan had been getting increasingly close with Tala, and the way the two of them looked at each other this morning, the way _she_ looked at _him_... Chase suddenly felt dizzy, nausea clawing at his throat.

Chase swallowed the acid back down, knuckles cracking as his fists balled when he realized that Hannibal Bean was right. Guan really _was _trying to take everything away from him.

"Drink the Lou Ming Long soup, ancient potion of the Dragon," said Hannibal, its voice a soothing balm over the fire in Chase's belly, "and join me forever on the dark side."

Chase gave a pause, his stomach twisting. He hesitated when the bird flew down to him, carrying the dragon- crested soup pot in its claws.

"Perhaps you'd like some time to think it over?" the bean suggested smugly, "I'm sure you'll make the right decision."

* * *

Chase stared at the pot, his heart pounding. He studied the intricate handiwork of the gold-carver that had molded the dragon heads that served as the handles and lid. A curling tongue extended from the yawning mouth of the head atop the lid, its snout frozen in a menacing snarl. The life-likeness of it was intimidating.

The only thing that disturbed Chase more was the idol carved into the center of the pot, staring at him with dead eyes. Obviously the face of some ancient deity, it looked more like a floating spirit than a dragon, with long whips like tentacles surrounding the head and a mane that fanned out as the beast flashed its horrific teeth.

Chase stared into the idol's face, his forehead beginning to sweat. His fingers twitched, wanting to reach out and touch it, yet he dared not move. Chase's world slowed when the eyes began to glow.

A steady whisper slithered into Chase's mind. '_So_,' it hissed, '_You and I finally meet._'

"Who are you?"

Chase felt a vibration in his head, and clutched his ears, panicking until he realized that the thing, whatever it was, had laughed.

'_I am a Heylin Spirit,_' it said, '_And you_?'

Chase clamped his mouth shut, his throat running dry as the eyes glowed just a bit more brightly.

'_SPEAK, BOY_!'

Chase winced.

"Chase," he whispered, "Chase Young."

'_Not with your mouth_!' the spirit commanded, '_Your mind. Speak with your mind. You'll never know who might be listening_.'

Chase swallowed. '_So you really are a spirit_,' he thought, '_What are you doing in a bowl of soup_?'

'_What indeed_.' The spirit chuckled again, and Chase ignored it, no matter how much the feeling made his skin crawl.

'_I need your help, Chase Young,_' said the spirit, '_I grow weak, and in order to keep myself alive, I must bind myself to another_.'

Chase brightened. '_Like a servant_?' he asked, '_You mean, if I turn dark, you'll serve me_?'

'_In a way_,' it answered, '_Though we truthfully must serve each other_. _Did Hannibal Bean not tell you_?'

'_He wants me to join him on the Heylin side in order to fulfil the Crown and Pearl prophecy_,' Chase shrugged, '_but that was it_.'

'_To fulfill the prophecy_,' said the spirit, '_one of the young warriors must turn dark. Do you truly believe it is you_?'

Chase nodded.

'_So be it, then_,' the spirit hissed, its presence fading from Chase's mind. The voice was nothing but the hum of a feeling in his chest as it whispered, '_We have no choice. Take me to the bean, and show him what you have decided_.'

* * *

Hannibal smiled up at Chase beneath the moonlight, its rancid mouth gleaming green with glee. "So," it said, "You've made your choice."

"Yes," said Chase, "I renounce my claim over becoming a Xiaolin Dragon,"

He lifted the cup into the moonlight. "and I submit myself to a new order. One where chaos reigns. I shall be its master."

Chase took the lid from the pot and looked down into the bubbling liquid. He met Hannibal's eyes, squinted with a malicious grin, before lifting the rim to his lips.

He drank.

* * *

Dashi's grave had been carved into the hillside, beneath the shadow of a grand oak tree. Carved into marble stone, the semi-circle shimmered gently against the moonlight, much like one of his comforting smiles. Tala knelt, praying as smoke spiraled from the incense that sat on top of the later beneath his name, touching the top of the grave marker with curling hands.

"He's growing healthy, I think," Tala said brightly, touching her stomach with a smile, "and don't worry about me. I know I shouldn't be visiting at night, but Guan isn't too far by. He's been a good friend to me, lately. Guan loved you dearly, and I know he'll love your baby too."

Tala laughed a little at herself, shrugging. "It's a shame I already named Chase the godfather," she chuckled, mist gathering at the corners of her eyes, "If I had known-"

Tala choked as a bubble popped in her chest, forcing the tears to spill over. "If I had known what he'd done, if I had known what he- I would never have asked for his help. I would have stuck to Guan like you suggested. I would have-"

Tala swallowed back her tears. "But I wanted my friends close," she croaked thickly, almost hearing Dashi's voice laughing at her for getting worked up enough to let her brogue slip, "I missed him. I knew how bad it would be, but I thought he was just confused! I thought the prophecy had poisoned him! Made him sick! Chase isn't a bad person, I know it! He is just lost, and I thought that this baby could help him find his way back. But what I didn't realize is that Chase was already too far gone, and I was too late."

"He killed you! He killed you!" Tala whimpered, hardly able to breathe, "He let you die, and I named him your baby's godfather! I am so sorry Dashi. I wish I could fix it, but the Elders won't let me change it! I'm sorry!"

"Oh," a purr came from behind, "There's no need to be sorry, Tala."

Tala swiped at her tears before turning around, shy that her face was swollen from crying. Chase stared down at her, a very slight smile on his face that really only gave itself away in his burning eyes. In the shadows, they looked a twinge golden.

"Chase," Tala choked, crouching to stand.

Chase held up a hand. "No, no, please," he said, "Don't get up yet. Let me help."

He stepped out into the moonlight, looking much paler, ashen even, as his eyes glowed yellow beneath the white sheen. Chase's smile broadened as he bent and offered Tala a hand, bangs free from their usual oils and swaying in front of his eyes.

Tala smirked, half-forgetting why she hated him. "Your hair," she said, "It's different. Much more… spiky."

"Yes, well," Chase shrugged. It was then that Tala noticed a sharp fang at the corner of his mouth. "You and Guan both ignoring me has made me go through some changes."

Tala snatched her hand back, wobbling. Chase caught her wrist with one hand, and held the middle of her back with the other. "Careful," he said, fangs fully flashing, "You don't want anything to happen to that baby."

Tala swallowed her gasp, nearly gagging on air, when his pupils shrunk to slits, true gold splashing around them like waves. Tala roughly pushed him away, steadying herself on Dashi's grave marker behind her.

"What did you do?" She demanded, glaring.

Chase chuckled, a rumbling sound like nothing she was used to. Tala shook her head, recognizing it as a growl.

"You aren't Chase," she spat.

"I believe you'll find that I am," said Chase, inspecting his nails.

"You aren't human," Tala accused, "What are you?"

Chase looked at her, his eyes darting so fast that Tala nearly thought she had blinked. His pupils were far from round, now. Thin and black, lightless and with all the focus of a predator sizing up its prey before an ambush. Chase's laugh was short, deep, and dark. "Wouldn't you like to know."

Chase cocked his head. "You see, Tala," he said, taking very slow steps toward her, "I need you to understand something."

Tala clung to the marble, her back pressed so hard against it that she could feel the etches of Dashi's name on her skin. She held a hand over her stomach, throat tightening. "Don't you dare come closer!"

Chase stopped just in front of Tala, eyes on her large belly, soft, focused and unblinking. He hovered a hand over hers.

"Chase-" Tala warned, but he looked up at her with a gentle reprimand in his eyes before slowly taking her hand away.

"This baby," he whispered tenderly, "is a very special baby."

His hand felt like fire, though Chase hardly even pressed his fingers over the thick cloth. He slowly let his palm relax, spreading his fingers. "I believe he will even surpass me in skill as a martial arts master," Chase whispered, "I wonder what secrets this little one will keep. Will he have magic like his mother,"

Chase met her eyes then. "Or die uselessly like his father?"

Tala smacked Chase's hand away, but he flipped his wrist out of Tala's grasp and turned the tables, nearly breaking hers with his harsh fingers. Chase yanked Tala close, forcing her to stay with an arm at her back when she struggled to break free. "Oh no," Chase growled, "You aren't leaving me _this_ time. I need that child, and I need you, and I'm not letting either of you-"

Tala froze after she backhanded him. She should have used enough magical force to knock him completely away from her, but Chase stood his ground, only a bent neck and a streak of blood down his chin to show for her waste of effort. He growled, deep and slow, fangs bared, while realigning his neck. Chase's eyes were such an unnatural yellow that they nearly shined their own light. "_go_."

"Guan!" Tala shouted over her shoulder.

Chase threw Tala down, knocking her head into the marble. She blinked twice, but the word did not clear. It grew dim instead, and the last thing she saw was Chase grinning down at her.

* * *

Chase's back was to Guan when he raced over to Tala's scream. His eyes darted to the blood splashed over the corner of Dashi's grave marker and then to the pregnant woman held in Chase's arms.

"Chase," he said, "What are you doing?"

Chase turned, smiling at Guan, holding Tala's limp body close. Blood streaked the corner of her forehead, dripping down to her neck. "I'm leaving," he said, "and I'm taking her with me."

"What did you do?" Guan growled, crouching into a stance.

Chase rolled his eyes and sighed harshly. "Why is everybody asking me that, today?"

"Chase!" Guan warned, "Put Tala down!"

"I'm only upholding my role as godfather," Chase offered, raising his eyebrows, "I'm taking care of Tala and the baby, and this way the masters won't have to worry about burning her at the stake once Dashi's kid is born."

"Put. Her. _Down_," Guan snarled, pulling his Spear out of the sheathe from around his back.

"You wouldn't risk hurting Tala," said Chase, "Not with your _precious _Grand Master Dashi's child on the line. Let me walk out of here with her, and I promise I won't kill you."

"I won't promise the same," Guan snapped, "Put her down NOW!"

"You and what army?"

The smirk washed itself from Chase's face when an arrow was pointed at the back of his neck. Master Young pulled his bow back just a little farther.

"We don't need an army," he hissed into Chase's ear.

Chase's eyes widened as Master Young told him, "Give the witch girl to Guan, and we can forget this ever happened. It can all be behind us."

Chase smiled. "Well, _Dad_," he sneered, "I don't know. Something tells me playing keep away with the two of you could be fun."

Master Young tightened his bow. "Don't do it, boy!" he growled, "Think this through! Think about what you're throwing away!"

Chase's smile widened, but then he relaxed, smoothing his face to serenity. "You're right," he said, "I shouldn't. Besides, there is still so much I have to do! So much to prepare for!"

He let Master Young take Tala from him. He walked down the steps, and stopped to stand behind Guan. Looking over his shoulder, Chase grinned.

"But know this, Father," he said, "I will be back for that baby. I won't let Wei do to him what you allowed to be done to me. That baby is mine to claim, and I will raise him as my own. Mark my words."

Guan stabbed at Chase with his Spear, and was instantly slammed into the wall by a blast of invisible energy from Chase's hand.

"NO!" shouted Master Young as Guan fell limp, and Chase was caught up into a whirlwind of fallen leaves, "Stop!"

But, from holding the unconscious Tala, Master Young could not get to his son. He helplessly watched as Chase disappeared into the night, his harsh laughter riding on the wind.

* * *

**AN: *clenches fist* Finally, my son has arrived. The Emo-Haired Dragon Trash King liveth. Happy birthday, my terrible child. Frolic away, now, and destroy everything in sight. **

**To all of you wondering: no, I did not just give you a free spoiler. I'm just living in Trash Dragon hell. I do, however, still have a surprise for everyone. You get to officially meet 'Hannibal's friend' next chapter. **


	34. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

_Thirty Four__ What Was Promised

Locked away deep within his own mind, Chase was chained to the walls of his psyche. He hung loosely, leaning on his knees, tired of tugging at the chains that bound his wrists.

"I'm sorry, Tala," Chase whispered, wishing that he had never listened to Hannibal Roy Bean. He was weak, hardly able to lift his head. The Dragon was draining him of everything he had- his abilities, his memories, his voice. That monster was taking everything while parading around in his skin, and soon Chase himself would fade away, a mere forethought of the beast that would be forever known in history by his name.

"Are you _still _crooning over that selfish bitch?" mocked his own voice.

"I'm the one who is selfish," muttered Chase, "I should have just let it be and accepted my fate. I should never have taken that potion."

"Not this again," the voice answered, the sound of his footsteps approaching, "Is this all you ever talk about?"

There was a sharp pain in Chase's scalp as the mirror image of himself yanked his head up by his hair. "Seriously," his doppelganger said with a sharp smile, "it's getting old."

"You, Spirit," Chase spat, "You lied to me."

"I admit that my ways are a little less conventional than what you're used to," said Chase's double with a grin, "but I never lied. Just held back a bit of truth. If anyone, it was Hannibal Roy Bean who lied. I'm still here to serve you."

"What are you planning?" asked Chase, yanking on his chains in the hopes that he was close enough to punch the bastard. He wasn't.

His mirror's smile widened, its golden eyes glittering with satisfaction. "You already know," it said, "Tala will regret her rejection of the prophecy. Just wait and see."

"Your plan won't work," Chase warned, "Tala and Guan will find a way to keep everyone safe from you. They always do."

"Oh," purred the creature, it's pupils dilating with interest. With a tune in its voice, the mirror sang,"_I found a weak spot."_

"Shut up,"

"No," it said, "I don't think I will. You've probably noticed by now that your friends are no match for me. After all, you _were _the strongest of them, and now your spirit will fade by the next full moon."

Leaning closer, the mirror Chase's smile was a mockery of what his used to be. "That's in three days, Chase," it said, "Then this body will be all mine, and so will Tala."

"Tala's stubborn," said Chase with a smile, "I'm sure she has already vowed to hate you. That girl will never love you."

"Love?" laughed the doppelganger, "You think _that's _what I want? Oh no, boy, you have it all wrong."

It snatched Chase's throat and smiled as he fought against the pressure, forcing him to stare dead into its lightless, poisonous eyes. "I was created from your darkest desires, and I will take what you were always afraid of having for yourself. I will take her power," it told him, "and the baby's, too."

"No," choked Chase, watching the creature's pupils shrink and morph into something more sinister, "You're sick. I don't want that."

The dragon man smiled, so familiar and so foreign. It pushed Chase back against the wall and stood, glaring down at him.

With a harsh laugh behind the question, the mirror asked, "You didn't honestly think you loved that girl, did you? You said so yourself: you've always wondered what magic was like, and now you can finally have it. Through _her_."

"Shut up," spat Chase, "I may have thought that way when she first came into my life, but I love her now and if you so much as _breathe_ in Tala's direction I will-"

"You'll what, Chase?" it drawled, "Kill me? Highly unlikely with you chained to my mind_._"

"_My_ mind," Chase snarled.

The creature huffed. "Not anymore."

"I will find a way out of this," Chase vowed, "and I will find a way to kill you. Mark my words, Dragon. You will never touch Tala!"

In the mockery of a bored teenager, the duplicate rolled its eyes and groaned. It kicked up the chain and loop lying beside its foot and snatched the chain from the air, pulling it back with a violent yank.

Chase was immediately dragged to the wall with a hard slap. He could no longer move his wrists, though he struggled to pull himself free and loosen the chains again.

The mirror of him smiled, admiring its handy work. "Very amusing, Chase," it said, "Absolutely heartwarming."

"Let me down, you bastard!" he shouted, but the thing snorted at him.

"I'm touched, truly," it said with a shrug, "I almost cried."

"Take these chains off," Chase demanded, "so I can kill you in a fair fight!"

"_Fair_?" laughed the double, "Was it _fair _when you blackmailed a little girl into providing information for you in fear of being burned alive? Was it _fair_ when not even within five months of her husband's death, you attempted to coerce the woman you 'loved' into marrying you when she still had two years left to mourn? And what about Guan? What did _he_ do to deserve your hatred, other than simply trying to comfort a friend while she mourned? It isn't _his_ fault Tala hates you. It isn't _his_ fault that Grand Master Wei will never give you what you want!"

The mirror snatched Chase's chin and leaned in very close. "But _I_ can," it hissed, "and I _will_."

"Stop it," said Chase, turning his face away, "I've made my mistakes. That doesn't make me a monster."

"Oh _no_, Chase," it mocked, "you can't get away with it this time. Not with me. You are no saint, my friend. All you have ever done is lie, cheat, and threaten your way to the top just for a _taste _of getting what you want. Face it. You are far more like me than you want to admit."

"You talk too much for a demon," Chase snapped, "Do you like hearing yourself speak?"

The creature's arrogance was overwhelming, pulling its smile thin. "In your voice, yes," it said, "I just love watching your friends' skin crawl when they hear my words from your lips. Tala especially. I just get a kick out of watching her squirm."

"Shut up," hissed Chase, "Stop talking about her."

"Did you get to see the show?" his mirror egged on, leaning its palm against the wall, "She was so terrified of you. Heartbreaking, actually. Too bad _Dashi_ isn't there to pick up the pieces for you, isn't it?"

"I'll kill you if you touch her," said Chase.

"Are you still harping on that?" the demon groaned, pushing off of the wall.

The dragon man stood in front of one of his chained wrists and Chase watched with horror when the armor on the doppelganger's arm and hand was swallowed up by green scales and formidable claws. It tapped the manacle on his wrist, the ding vibrating across the void in a warble.

"Do you know why I chose to hold you back with chains, Chase?" it asked lightly, tracing the metal with a tender smile.

"Because you're a creep?" he answered.

"Because chains are a symbol of control," it said, running the tip of its claw across it with a screech. The sound was painful. Chase cringed, despite not wanting to show the monster weakness.

"Something you've always wanted but never had," the mirror smirked, enjoying itself, "I suppose you get to experience it now, albeit on the wrong end."

"Why do you think I care about your symbolic bullshit?" asked Chase, craning his neck to glare at the double.

"I don't," it answered, grabbing his chin in its claws, "But I want you to experience first hand what you've done to your poor, sweet Tala. She doesn't deserve it, really, but you gave me no other choice when you invited me in."

"What are you talking about?"

The doppelganger's eyes darkened. "Seriously?" it hissed, "You haven't figured it out yet?"

It held him there, squeezing his jaw to keep Chase from looking away. "Think," it instructed angrily, "think _hard._"

"No," the realization hit him and Chase's blood ran cold. "No," he begged, "you can't! You can't do this to her! You can't just steal someone's life!"

His double smiled, wide and slow.

"_Bingo_," it sang. Tilting its head with a cocky grin, the demon poked his lips with the tip of its claw, saying, "and it's all... your... _fault_."

Chase shook his head, heart sinking, and began to cry.

"No," he choked, "I never wanted her to get hurt. I never wanted this."

"I know," the doppelganger mocked him with fake concern, "I know. We never intend for these things to happen, but your actions do bear consequences, and this one -well- it doesn't affect _just_ you."

The dragon man smiled and stroked Chase's cheek to wipe away his tears, saying, "Poor Chase. You are just a child still, aren't you? A boy forced to walk around as a man. How sad. Daddy made you grow up too fast. Bet he told you it was for the best, too. No wonder you were so eager to turn dark."

With a click of its tongue, the double added, "It's a shame. The bean promised me a fully grown host, but there's no changing it now, is there? I wanted the Crown, after all. Of course, now I have to wait for your body and brain to fully mature in order to finish what I've started. He won't be getting his new body from _me_ after this, that's for sure. Broken promises deal consequences too."

"Hannibal Bean knew about you?" Chase choked, shuddering at the touch of the thing's scales.

"Who do you think put him on the mission to recruit a warrior in the first place?" the smiling mirror asked, "What creature in its right mind would help to create something that could easily turn and overpower it if there wasn't something for it to gain? You didn't honestly think Hannibal Roy Bean _wanted _a spoiled little brat like you for an apprentice, did you?"

The blow was surprisingly devastating. The air rushed out of Chase's lungs as if the doppelganger had punched him in the gut.

"Don't look so upset," it said, "You should have expected nothing less from him. After all, thieves and liars are good at recruiting other thieves and liars and lucky for me you were _both _too stupid to catch on. Hannibal Bean now gets to walk away from this with nothing, while I walk away with everything."

"You have my body," said Chase, "Why go after Tala?"

His double shrugged. "That's just how it goes," it told him, "Once we attach ourselves to a host body, we gain their memories and as thanks for the exchange of life, we fulfill your deepest and most hidden desires. Lust, murder, greed, it's all in _here _now."

It tapped the side of its skull, "And I intend on fulfilling every terrible, monstrous act you were too much of a coward to commit. But you, being a human, can't give me enough power to do all of that. So, I need the help of someone with a little more juice_._"

Chase swallowed, feeling sick. "Tala,"

The mirror nodded, "Now you're getting it."

"What about the baby?"

"What _about_ the baby?" it snapped back.

Chase dreaded the answer, but he had to know. "What are you going to do to it?"

"Ah," it said, unsurprised.

The doppelganger turned its back on him, clicking it's claws against the metal on the armor of it's unchanged arm. "I wouldn't worry about that," the mirror told him, "After all, if Tala isn't the Pearl of prophecy, then surely this baby could be my ticket to ruling the world instead. Close call, really."

"No!" shouted Chase, "You can't take Tala's child from her! She would rather die than to just let you-"

The double suddenly yanked itself close. Chase felt himself grow numb and cold. The chill filled him from his spine to his fingertips.

"I'm counting on it," the doppelganger whispered into his ear, "I'm _counting_ on her to fight. And when she does, I will take everything from her until there is nothing left but me. I will have her power _and _her heart, just like you've always wanted. Though, the experience won't be all that pleasant for Tala."

With a chuckle, the new Chase lifted his chin to look into its eyes one last time.

"But don't worry," the Dragon whispered gently with Chase's own voice as the-boy-who-once-was began to disappear, "It's like you told Dashi: I will take _very_ good care her."

* * *

The countryside burned, ash rising into the false sunrise of a red sky. The stars above still lingered in the black above Chase's head, twinkling with the promise of more carnage to come. He smiled, breathing in the scent of burning grass and flesh, as Hannibal Bean chuckled to himself atop Chase's shoulder.

"Those fools," sneered the bean with delight, "They have no idea just how capable you are to destroy them."

"Yes," said Chase, "It's a shame I didn't stick around to burn the Xiaolin Temple to the ground, too."

"All in due time, my old friend," said Hannibal, patting Chase's cheek with a tentacle, "but, why let yourself have all the fun? I've waited five-thousand years to reinhabit a magic-wielding body, and I'm eager to get the blood flowing again."

"In more ways than just your body, I'm guessing," Chase added with an arched eyebrow, still admiring his handiwork.

The bean chuckled. "You know me well."

Chase huffed, smirking. "And it's a good thing I do," he said, "but, it appears that _you_ no longer know _me_."

Hannibal met Chase's gleaming eyes, his smile gone. "What are you talking about?"

Chase craned his neck, smiling down at Hannibal Bean with a relaxed grin. "You gave me the wrong warrior," he said, "which wouldn't have been all that much of a problem, if he were an adult. Now I have to wait until this body fully matures in order to really do anything with it."

Terror struck the bean's face. "But Chase Young is the Crown!" Hannibal cried, "He has to be! He should be!"

Chase plucked the bean from his shoulder. Pinching him hard between his fingers, Chase held Hannibal at eye-level.

"That's right," Chase snarled, "He _should _be. Well, don't feel too bad. Even I thought so, at first. At least he was a martial arts prodigy. I've absorbed him by now, so I've added his skills and knowledge to my power. _You_, on the other hand,"

Chase passed his hand over the air in front of him. A black vortex slowly spun, widening with each second that passed until it grew as large as Chase was tall. Hannibal Bean squirmed. "No!" he cried, "No, Chase, please! Our deal! We had a deal!"

"The deal is off!" Chase snapped, pupils shrinking to slits, "You did not give what was promised to me, and so I shall not give what was promised to you!"

"Mark my words, Chase Young," hissed Hannibal, voice as thick and slimy as rancid honey, "I'll get you back for this!"

"I hardly see how that's possible."

"I'll make sure you never find the Crown and Pearl!," cried Hannibal as Chase stepped up to the portal, his face as still and smooth as stone, "I'll find them before you do, and when I do I'll kill them so that you'll never have the chance to meet! You will never have the earth! It's mine, do you hear me! WE HAD A-"

Chase tossed him in with a disgruntled, "Shut up. Your voice is annoying."

The vortex popped, dropping like a pebble to the ground at Chase's feet. "I thought he'd never shut up," Chase muttered, grinding the pebble into dust, "Enjoy eternal imprisonment, old friend."


	35. Chapter 35

**Disclaimer: I do not own XS. This work is entirely fanmade.**

_Thirty Five__ The Stuff of Legends

Grand Master Wei smiled into his cup as he listened to the baby crying down the hall. The moon shone through the window, its cool light meeting with the warm yellow of the candle beside him in a collision of worlds. He smiled at the thought, knowing that this baby was also the meeting point between opposing forces.

Chase was gone, the Crown no more, and from what Master Young had told Grand Master Wei, the turncoat would return, hellbent on taking that child with him. And from Keyota's report, Chase looked more than willing to harm Tala in order to have that child, too. The Grand Master clicked his tongue against the small smile on his face. "What a shame," he hummed to himself, "She could have died."

Still, Chase's turning sent an uneasy stutter to the Grand Master's heart. His prophecy was coming to pass after five hundred years of waiting. Chase Young becoming a Heylin warrior confirmed that. But Tala, he had decided long ago, was not the Pearl. If Chase knew it too, it would have explained his ferocity toward her.

And, quite possibly then, perhaps this little bundle of joy now wailing in the next room was. After all, its mother was a half-witch. Heylin blood, just as the prophecy called for. Grand Master Wei would just need a way to get rid of Tala, and the baby would become all his to raise and mold into the strongest warrior to ever live. Perhaps he could schedule a witch burning after all.

Grand Master Wei held the tea saucer to his lips, chuckling to himself as a maid came in, replacing his pot with a freshly steaming one. She bowed to him silently, scurrying out of the room.

"Wait," he said quietly.

The girl popped her head in. "Grand Master,"

"The child," he said, "Is it healthy?"

The maid smiled. "His lungs are strong, sir," she said eagerly, "Do you not hear him?"

"A boy," Grand Master Wei whispered thoughtfully, "And his mother, is she alive?"

The maid's smile widened, cheeks like red apples. "The Honored Trainee is resting," she said, "but will recover. Both mother and son are very healthy. Good fortune smiles upon her."

The Grand Master huffed, pouring himself some fresh tea. "Yes," he said, "No doubt the spirit of Grand Master Dashi is watching over his son, tonight. She should feel blessed."

"Shall I wake her?" asked the maid eagerly, "Were you hoping to speak with the Honored Trainee?"

"Let the girl sleep," he instructed, "She's earned it. You are dismissed."

The maid bowed again and left without so much as the sound of her feet creaking the floorboards. Grand Master Wei snorted, lifting the steaming cup to his lips. His dark eyes glinted as he glared at the closed door.

"You seem disappointed," a voice behind him murmured.

Grand Master Wei did not give them the honor of his concern and kept his back turned. "Chase," he said calmly, "If I had known that you would slither back tonight, I would have ordered for a second cup to be brought. We could have shared some jasmine tea for old time's sake. I remember it being your favorite."

"I'm not interested in tea," Chase's smooth voice slid along Grand Master Wei's spine, but he refused to let the traitor see him stiffen. "You know what I want."

Grand Master Wei sighed, and looked over his shoulder at the pair of amber eyes glaring at him from the dark corner. "You really were my best student, Chase," he said, "I had hoped that you would grow to see me as a father, but as it turn out, my encouraging your ambitions only made you blind to the truth. It's a shame. You could have been so great."

"Great," whispered Chase, "What is so great about being a lap dog?"

Grand Master Wei's throat tightened and began to burn. He clawed at his neck, straining to breathe. He wheezed and sucked, but no air came in. It only came out, making his chest feel heavier and heavier with each failed heave of his chest.

"And there is one fatal flaw in your little dream, there, Grand Master Wei,"

Grand Master Wei collapsed to his side, dropping the kettle. The scalding water burned his neck and face, but he could not scream. His pupils shrank and dilated as Chase stepped from the shadows, but the amber eyes he met were not that of Chase Young.

Keyota Young's eyes were hard as he glowered down at the writhing Grand Master, hands folded behind his back. "He already has a father."

The Grand Master was helpless as Master Young kicked his shaking hand away when he reached out with a mute cry, stepping over the dying man and out of the room like a thief in the night.

* * *

Tala hummed softly, looking down into her son's large black eyes. "I love you," she whispered as the baby cooed, his soft mouth a perfect circle as he yawned.

"_Tá mo chroí istigh ionat,"_ she whispered, "and it always will be. You are my _chuisle_, my reason for living. I promise to always cherish you, my son. "

She smiled as the baby blinked sleepily up at her. "You look like your father," she said, stroking the light birthmark on his forehead, "Spitting image, almost. His last gift, just for me."

She narrowed her eyes at the marking, peering closer. Rows of light dots lined the center, just above his eyes. Tala hugged her newborn close, letting the side of his little face rest against her chest as she remembered Chase's chilling words: "Will he have magic like his mother, or die uselessly like his father?"

Tears sprang to Tala's eyes at the thought, knowing that Chase would be back for him. The way he looked at her, the way he touched her belly so tenderly, whispering to the baby inside…. Tala shuddered, swallowing down the rush of acid that shot into her throat.

"I won't let him take you," she whispered to the nursing infant obliviously feeding away, "I promise, little one."

"Tala,"

Tala flinched, shooting her palm up and holding the baby close. Her heart pounded against the cool rush of relief when she realized that the familiar voice did not belong to the monster that had been plaguing her nightmares for the past four months.

Master Young glared at Tala from the doorway, arms raised. "I'm not Chase," he snapped walking in, "Relax. I've come to check up on you."

"Dojo just did the same," she said, adjusting the baby to rest her arm a bit more comfortably, "Wouldn't stop yammering about how much he looks like his father, even with these strange birthmarks."

Master Young smirked. "Birthmarks?"

"Dots," Tala clipped, "I think they're freckles, actually."

Master Young's interest disappeared into a slight frown.

"Has Chase returned?" Tala asked suddenly, breaking the awkwardness of Master Young's silence.

"Not that I'm aware of," he said, arching an eyebrow, "Everything has oddly been peaceful thus far, tonight."

Tala blinked hard, her stomach churning at the overwhelming similarities between father and son.

Master Young's smile was slight, the light in his eyes held back from some deeper feeling. "He looks well," he said, nodding to the baby, "Congratulations."

"Thank you," said Tala, patting the baby's back as she bounced him a little.

"You look worried," Master Young observed, stepping closer.

Now in the moonlight, his amber eyes looked nearly orange. Too familiar, too raw for Tala to handle. She looked away from him.

"You should be worried," Master Young hissed sharply, "I didn't raise Chase to pass around empty threats, which means we need to make a plan for when he _does_ return for that baby."

"I have one," Tala snapped, focusing on the brightness of the full moon instead of looking at him.

"Tell me."

"He'll return," said Tala, looking down at the little infant in her arms as he stared up at her, "and I will lure him out of the Temple. I'll take my baby to the river, and I'll send him away. The village I was born in is not too far from here. The basket will send him there, and hopefully Chase won't find him."

"Idiocy," Master Young snorted, "What if the current becomes to strong and nobody fishes out the basket? What if he flips over and drowns?"

"That's a chance I'm willing to take," Tala hissed, swallowing, "I won't let Chase have my son."

Master Young grunted, but whether he was pleased with her decision or not was uncertain. His face was as smooth as a skipping stone as he reached out and gently touched the top of the baby's head.

"Chase was smaller than this," he whispered. The rawness of his voice caught Tala by surprise. He met it with a flick of his eyes before looking back down at the newborn with a small quiver of his chin. "My wife was not so lucky as you. Let's hope that this luck of yours will protect the little one."

Then he was gone, feet clapping heavily against the wooden boards as he made his way out, shutting the door quietly behind him.

Tala fell asleep again soon after, cradling her baby close. She did not wake up again until she heard the screams. The scent of soot instantly burned Tala's throat. She scrambled to get out of bed, her baby screeching as she held him tight.

She ran to the door and held a chair up against the handle as it began to shake, and slammed her back to it as whoever was behind the door began to pound and thrash at the wood, cracking it. A fist splintered it and Tala yelped, scrambling to the already open window, pressing the baby to her chest to muffle his screams.

The door swung open as Tala slipped through the window and raced off into the courtyard. Women and men ran past her, a current of fear and heat pushing up against her as they ran like rats away from the burning Vault.

"Out of my way!" Tala screamed, throwing people back from her as she surged forward, "Go! Move!"

She whipped her head around to look find Guan or Master Young, but instead saw Chase between the frightened crowd every which way she turned. Smiling at her, watching her, waiting.

Tala looked down at her crying baby. He shook with such hysterics that his face had gone red. She held him close again, and sprinted toward the small courtyard, lungs burning from the smoke.

The small courtyard was black and eerily calm, left untouched by both people and the fire. The skeleton of the sleeping willow lazily whispered in the cold night's wind, the smell of ash and death lingering on its branches.

Tala's breath fogged against the black as the child whimpered against her skin. "I had always fantasized about running away through this wall," she told him gently, "so I guess this is a little bit funny, you and I making our escape through here."

Tala bundled the baby up a bit more tightly before ducking through the wall crack. She raced up the hill, not looking back until she was at the top, eyes darting across the red and yellow glow that was once the Xiaolin Temple. Smoke piled so high that it was hard to distinguish where the ash ended and the sky began. But Tala had looked long enough. She turned toward the forests beyond, and ran.

* * *

Branches scratched Tala's cheeks and slapped at her back as she ran, ducking to keep her baby from getting hit. Tala's eyes blurred as she grew dizzy and pumped her legs harder, refusing to stop. All the while, she could hear Chase's whisper calling to her from the branches above, "Rest. Reclaim your destiny. Give him to me…"

"NEVER!" Tala screamed, ducking more branches. She stopped short at a clearing, the sound of rushing water cooling her aching bones and flushed cheeks with relief.

Tala looked around quickly, squinting in the ever-moving dark. "Basket, basket," she stammered to herself, trying to see past the forest's dancing shadows, "Where is the basket- there!"

Several had been left behind, in fact. Even some with linens left forgotten inside them, spilling over into the fresh dusting of snow. "Oh, I have never been more grateful for lazy maids in my life!" she cried, rushing toward them.

Tala nearly collapsed to her knees, yanking one of the lids open. Tala looked over her shoulder. No one was there. just the bare bones of the trees rattling as a cold breeze whipped up high above.

Tala looked back at her son and smiled. He had fallen asleep again. Just like his mother: easy to wake, and easy to sleep. She covered him with the linens inside to bundle him in extra warmth, and placed the lid back over, standing as a rustle came from the underbrush.

A slithering voice came from behind Tala, before she could turn around. "There you are."

A pair of glowing eyes searched Tala's face from the shadows. The black slits floating inside pools of yellow focused on both Tala and nothing all at once. Fangs, sharp and white curled into a smile beneath them, catching the light of the moon as Chase spoke.

"Come with me precious," the fangs beckoned, "There is no delaying the inevitable. You were mine from the start. You know it. Deep inside of your heart you know it."

Tala kept herself from darting her eyes to the basket, taking a step back.

'_Don't scream, baby. Please stay quiet_,' she begged the sleeping child silently, her heart beating wildly against her skin. A gloved hand reached out from the forest, slow and patient.

"We were destined for this," the fangs whispered, "We were destined to rule. You've always felt a pull from the darkness. After all, it's in your blood."

Tala opened her mouth in defense, but Chase cut her off quick with a flash of acid in his eyes.

"Don't try to deny it, Tala." he told her as he advanced, "There's no need for you to lie anymore. I am the darkness, now. There is no escape from me."

Tala inched closer to the basket, keeping eye contact with Chase as he stepped out of the lining of trees. Smiling, he asked, "Where's the baby?"

"Gone," Tala hissed, "I'd rather let him die than for him to endure whatever you have planned."

The baby began to wail, shaking the basket behind Tala as he searched for his mother with desperate shrieking. Chase smirked. He folded his hands behind his back and slowly approached, meeting Tala's eye as he circled his way to the basket.

"Don't!" Tala cried, throwing her arm out to stop him.

Chase snatched her by the throat and held a finger to his lips. "Shh."

Tala fell to the ground when he tossed her away. She scrambled to get up, helpless to watch Chase bend a knee to peer over the child.

"Such a sweet little thing," she heard him say as he placed his hands in the basket, "Looks like his father. Pity. I was hoping he'd take more after you."

Tala pushed herself up and threw magic at Chase. Chase lazily tossed up an invisible shield, shattering the blue stream of light into a glittering rain that fell at his feet. "None of that," he murmured as he cradled the baby in his arms. Smiling down at her son, Chase tucked the blanket beneath the newborn's chin. "I think he likes me."

Tala swallowed the orange coating her tongue, heat stinging her eyes. She felt frozen in place, wanting to move, but her whole body was so rigid that she could hardly breathe.

"What do you think, little one?" Chase whispered to the cooing bundle in his arms, "Shall we kill her? That way, I can have you all to myself. All of that power between the two of us, just you and me. In time, I could be like a father to you."

Power surged through Tala. "NO!" she screamed, a blast of energy barreling toward Chase. She ran with it, snatching her son from the air when Chase dropped him, thrown back into the forest with a crash of snapping branches.

The baby cried as Tala held him close, holding back a sob of her own. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, _A chuisle_!" she cooed, gingerly holding the back of his soft head, "It's okay, sweetheart, it's okay. I'm sorry, I know, shh."

She ran back to the basket and put the baby down, quickly swaddling him tightly. "Hush now, hush," she murmured, stroking the side of his face, snowflakes gently kissing his tiny nose and red cheeks, "You're going to have to go now, but know that I-"

A growl from the forest chilled Tala into stillness. She slammed the lid over the basket and picked it up, running without looking back. Trees fell behind her as the baby screamed, but Tala kept running. She stayed along the edge of the river, determined to find a shallow spot to wade into that had yet to be covered in ice.

Finally, she found it. A bellowing roar quickened Tala to jump down from the bathing rock and into the freezing shallows with a splash. The basket floated at her hip. She opened the lid, tears streaming down her face as she looked at her son, wailing so hard that his face was almost purple.

"I'm so sorry," Tala told him, "I can't be your mother, but hopefully you will be found by somebody who can."

Tala was slammed under the water the second she put the lid back over him. Mind-numbing river water choked her as she tried to claw her way to the surface. Tala twisted against the hand holding her head below the freezing slush, raking her nails down the arm above her. With a yank of her hair, Tala was pulled up. She gasped when she broke the surface, but at the sight of Chase, she choked.

Tala met a pair of venomous eyes, large and round, slits surrounded by molten gold. The beast smiled back at her with a long snout and sinister fangs. He chuckled, an inhuman growl rising from his gullet.

"Poor thing," the creature whispered. Its voice was split into three: A hissing snake, a vengeful growl, and the mere coattails of a friend she once knew.

The beast's smile was wide and slow. "If you had just given the boy and submitted yourself to me," it told her, "I would have made you my queen- my _goddess,_ but no."

Chase dunked Tala beneath the water and brought her back up. Pulling her close, the leering crocodile snarled. "You just had to go soft," he sneered, white hot breath choking Tala, "You just had to do one last noble act of sacrifice before losing everything, didn't you? You just had to be _good_. You're more like Dashi than I expected. Here, allow me to reintroduce the two of you."

The dragon shoved Tala back down into the icy water with crushing force. Tala held her breath this time, but barely. Her lungs and eyes were on fire, struggling against him as she kept her eyes open to find a weak spot. Tala kicked at the monster's plated belly. He held her legs under his other arm, stealing away Tala's only chance to escape. Tala twisted and thrashed, but it wasn't enough. She grew weak, her vision blurring to black as the cold overtook her.

Suddenly, Chase let go. Tala kicked Chase's stomach to push herself away, shooting up out of the water. Tala coughed when she surfaced, hacking up the fire in her lungs. Chase growled, his whipping tail slapping the water. The beast held its head, backing away from Tala as if trying to escape the pain. "Stop!" the monster hissed, both of its paws over its eyes now as it backed further away, "Argh! Not now!"

Tala darted for the basket, wading up to her shoulders to catch up. The baby was hysterical, screeching himself hoarse. Tala could not say goodbye a second time. She threw magic ahead of herself, opening a vortex in the middle of the river. "Now or never," she told herself with chattering teeth, "Let him go."

The massive blue portal pulled with such a force that Tala only needed to let go of the basket and let it float down river toward it. Even the fallen trees, pulled from the earth by Chase's rampage, were being dragged in. Tala ducked as one nearly knocked her over, sailing through the portal just ahead of the basket.

"Stay safe, _A chuisle,_" Tala murmured as the basket gently made its way through, "Please be loved."

She was dragged under again, Chase's roar mingling with the lapping of the water as she fell deaf beneath the river. The painfully freezing water rushed over Tala's head as she was dragged against the current. Chase threw Tala onto the riverbank, smashing her head against the mud and grass. The dragon straddled her, both claws around Tala's neck.

"_You_," he hissed, pressing down hard, "How dare you steal away my destiny!"

Tala's nails had no effect on the tough hide of Chase's wrists. The beast snarled with a chuckle. "Not so tough after using so much power, now are you, Tala?" Chase sneered, his fangs glistening, "Looks like Mala Mala Jong all over again. You're so weak and helpless. Oh, how I could snap your little neck like a twig."

The smiling crocodile took one claw and traced Tala's cheek. "But no, my pet," he said quietly, "I have bigger plans for you. Much bigger."

He transformed back into a man, sickening cracks and pops snapping Chase's bones and armor back into place. Chase leaned in close, his mouth barely hovering above hers. "Isn't this funny. It's just like the night we met, remember? The snow, the ice, you on your back, me trying to save you. This is all just so perfect."

"You aren't trying to save me, you beast." Tala's voice was raw as she shivered beneath Chase's heat.

"Oh, but I am," Chase murmured tenderly, drying the water that ran down her cheek with the back of his hand, "You keep trying to deny yourself your destiny, Tala, but I won't let that happen. You were never meant for a mundane life. You'll kill yourself, if you try."

Tala growled at him, which only prompted Chase to chuckle.

"I may not have my Pearl, Brave Girl, but I have you," he said, eyes wide and wild, "You and I are going to have so much fun together because, you see, your magic is all I need to find that baby."

Chase cocked his head and smiled, wet hair, already forming ice, brushing the side of Tala's mouth. "Mother's intuition, and all."

Tala tried to push the hand on her throat away, snarling. Chase applied pressure again.

"Stop that," he chided, "It's not like I'm going to kill you yet. You'll have to help me first."

Tala gathered up all of her strength, whatever magic she felt she had left, and threw Chase off of her, tangling him in her legs and taking the top. "Never," she hissed, poising her fist for the strike.

Chase knocked Tala off easily, on top of her again. "Never say neve-"

Tala had enough room to knee Chase between the legs, and scrambled out from beneath him.

"No you don't," he growled, dragging her down by the ankle as she got up to run.

Tala fell with a yelp, her jaw smacking hard on the ground. She twisted, trying to slap him. Instead of smacking Chase with her skin, to Tala's shock, wind hit him in the face, stunning them both.

Tala looked at her hand with horror, mouth open wide. "The curse," she realized, "It's broken!"

Chase chuckled. "So, you figured out how to break it. Congratulations. Took you long enough_. I _figured it out ages ago."

Tala tensed. "When you lost the Shoku position," she murmured. Tala looked up at Chase, glaring. "No wonder you weren't upset."

"Oh, I was upset," said Chase with a grin, "I just realized that there was something… better. Perspective works wonders in learning how to let go of lifelong dreams. But let's talk about you. Feels good to use your element, doesn't it?"

"Wind!" Tala cried, summoning it again, but Chase slammed her down to the ground with a laugh, his palm covering her face before she could use the wind against him.

"Too bad you had to sacrifice yourself to get it," he teased, "So much for self-preservation. Now you won't be able to use it."

He placed his other hand at her side. A painful shock ran through Tala's body at his touch. She flopped like a fish beneath Chase's weight, her eyes rolling to the back of her head. She just barely heard Chase say, "Not unless I command you to."

Tala lay still, wheezing. Chase slowly took his hand from Tala's face and stood above her, his eyes swirling that hideous molten gold. Tala could not move, and she could not breathe.

"Did you like that? I know I did," he said, "Lightning is my favorite thing about the Fire element. It's wonderful to finally use it out in the open."

"Bastard," Tala rasped, the taste of blood searing her throat.

"You wanted to make a tyrant out of me, and now you have one," Chase explained simply, "I suppose now we can both have what we wanted."

Chase raised his hand again, his eyes glinting maliciously, slits searching Tala's face for something. "You belong to me, now."

Fire rang through Tala's body. She screamed and thrashed until she went mute from the pain. Tala's body locked. Her lungs, her heart, her mind, all of it shut down. They returned all at once, as if she had jumped into the water and rushed back up. Tala gasped, rolling onto her feet.

She thought that she was on her hands and knees, but when Tala opened her eyes, her hands were orange and white paws. Tala backed up, feeling the ears on the top of her head pull back in horror. "No!" she cried, a roar escaping instead.

Tala backed up more, trying to out-run the paws walking with her. "No, no!"

Her tail whipped and Tala looked behind her, heart stopping at the sight of it. She looked back at Chase, eyes wide. "What did you do to me?!"

Chase's glare was harsh. "What I had to," he said, peeling the gloves from his hands, one finger at a time.

"And thank you," he added with a smile, "If it weren't for you an Guan betraying my trust and the Grand Master taking yet _another_ destiny just out of my reach, I would never have drank that potion."

Tala growled, hunching her shoulders in a predatory arch. Her ears flattened as she snarled, "You made that decision alone! Grand Master Wei may be a hypocritical hack, but you chose to follow your own demons!"

"I know," said Chase proudly, "and I don't regret one second of it. Even if some parts of me had to die, at least now I have what I've always wanted. Magic,"

Chase snapped his fingers and Tala was forced into a bow. "and you."

"Tala?" Guan's voice echoed through the trees.

Tala snapped her head up and looked behind her with another bob of her banded tail, swallowing the rock in her throat. "Guan."

She tried to go to him as he rushed out of the shadows, but Chase held up a hand, locking Tala in place. "Come to me," he growled.

Tala had no choice but to obey. Chase smiled down at Tala. "Good tiger," he said, yanking hard on an invisible chain. Tala was forced to sit at Chase's side, her tail thudding against the crusting, icy riverbank with frustration.

Guan's glower was instant the second he looked at Chase. "Where is she?" he demanded, "What did you do to Tala?"

Chase smirked, his dimple tucking itself at the corner of his cheek. Tala ducked out from under his hand when he lightly brushed her ears. "I killed her," he said, "The baby too. Their bodies are probably half way down the river by now."

"You monster," Guan growled, readying his Spear for a fight.

"No need for that, Master Monk Guan," said Chase, "I got what I came for. I'll be leaving, now."

"I'm not letting you get away with this!" Guan cried, charging.

Chase easily grabbed him and tossed Guan into a tree. "Do what you have to in order to rebuilt your precious Xiaolin Temple, Master Guan," he said, "but do yourself a favor and stay out of my way. I've killed enough people, tonight. I shouldn't have to add my best friend to the list."

"We are not friends," Guan hissed, "The Chase I knew died when you drank the Lou Ming Long Soup."

Chase smirked at Guan over his shoulder. "Did he?"

Tala looked back at Guan, watching as he began to weep before turning to follow Chase into the forest. She padded across the dusty coating of the snow, the sunlight silhouetting them both as it began to rise.

Cries of anguish weaved in and out of Tala's ears in echoes as they traveled through the underbrush, Chase smiling the entire way. He licked his lips as the pair passed the hill overlooking the Xiaolin Temple, women screaming and men crying for help to put out the flames of the Dragon's massacre. Chase only stopped for half a second to meet the eyes of his father, still searching the shadows for a monster that paraded around as his son.

They traveled for days. No sleep, no food, no conversation. Chase was looking for something, and would not rest until he found it. The two entered the jagged foothills beyond the rice paddies and soy fields, and Tala looked behind her to say goodbye to all she had known.

"Yin Ri."

The glistening sun against the mirror-like paddies gave Tala a sense of nostalgia, her chest heaving with a heavy sigh before meeting Chase's eyes as he stood waiting for her. She followed, too tired to hold herself back from the command. Black smoke from the still-burning Xiaolin Temple could be seen for miles as man and tiger disappeared through the mountain pass beyond the Three Hills.

* * *

"Earth!"

A fissure spiderwebbed deep into the ground from Guan's fist, bringing the rest of the demolished half of the Temple down into a pile of rubble. The men around him cheered, marveling at his newfound talent with hope in their war-torn faces. Guan looked at them, his smile not quite touching his eyes, and humbly bowed.

"Enough," said Master Young, marching his way through the crowd, "Back to work, all of you."

The men's cheers died down and they returned to their labor, hoisting up bits of rock and plaster as they departed. Master Young's stare was furious when he looked at Guan, and the dark circles beneath his amber eyes gave away the sleepless night he had spent trying to sort everything out.

"Sir," said Guan, bowing.

"Don't you dare," Master Young sapt, pointing a finger at him, "Come with me. Now."

"What is it this time?" Guan sighed, following.

"You are needed in the Council Chamber," Master Young explained, "Probably to discuss just how in the world you broke that curse. They've been fighting with me about it all night. I told them what you've told me, but they refuse to hear anything I say."

"That would explain the shadows on your face," grumbled Guan.

"With Grand Master Wei dead," said Master Young, running a shaky hand through his white-streaked hair, "it seems I've lost all standing with the Council… Chase wasn't the only one who owed that old bastard a debt for his title."

Heaviness hit Guan's heart at the sound of his best friend's name, and lingered at the far away stare in Master Young's eyes, unshed tears laced with regret. "Master Young, I-"

Master Young looked at Guan, the grey hollows of his eyes dulling the sharpness of his glare. "Keyota, now," he murmured, "I'm not your master, Guan. Not after today."

He looked so much like Chase then, on those nights when Wei was harshest on him and Guan would let Chase vent out his sorrows over a cup of tea. Those nights always ended with roaring laughter, but now the memory of them brought nothing but hurt. Guan clenched his fist, fighting off the image of Chase's happy-go-lucky smile brushing up against the back of his mind.

"Don't say that, Master Young," assured Guan, "The Council of Elders will hear my story and will know that you back up my claim. Besides, they can't argue with the proof."

Guan broke apart a large piece of rubble with the flat of his palm, smiling at Master Young. Master Young did not smile back. He kept walking, not even stopping to acknowledge the eunuchs that held the doors to the Council Chamber open for them.

They entered to the shouting of men, their jumbled voices flooding the room in a torrent. Guan nearly froze at how overwhelming the incoherent sound was, bouncing off of the walls and nearly filling up his entire being.

He looked at the rage in Master Young's wide eyes and took a step back, knowing what was about to happen next.

"QUIET," Master Young shouted, his booming voice overtaking the swell, "ALL OF YOU!"

Every sound in the room cut off, the sudden silence filling Guan's ears as overwhelmingly as the excessive sound had. He tried not to let it show, folding his hands behind his back as Master Young spoke.

"You are squabbling like children!" Master Young told them, "Has the loss of Grand Master Wei really caused so much damage to the Council that none of you can agree amongst yourselves?! Are we not masters? Are we not Elders? We are not lost children! The Xiaolin Temple is looking to this Council for guidance in these dark times, and here I find you all bickering like toddlers!"

The Elders watched Master Young with tired glowers. "Where have your heads gone?" he demanded, "What happened to the proud Xiaolin Masters? Well? Tell me!"

The only sound in the room was the echo of Master Young's anger vibrating off of the walls. Guan looked up when he heard a rustle of wings. On one of the empty slots of a temple guardian stood a crow, its head ducked low as it peered at Guan with a twinkling glint to its beady eyes.

"Master Young," said an ancient master, rising to his feet with the help of a cane, "We are in the middle of a discussion in what to do about the loss of the Wind Dragon and her child. Some of us wish to hold a vigil to respect the memory of Grand Master Dashi, while-"

"While those of us with sense," snapped another councilman, "would rather waste our energies and precious resources on protecting the Temple from further attack by Chase Young, not on some nonsense candle lighting."

"Chase is not a danger to us anymore. We will do neither," growled Master Young, striding to the middle of the room.

"Master You-" Guan protested, but was silenced when Master Young glared at him.

Master Young looked back at the councilmen. "I'm taking the position as Grand Master of the Xiaolin Temple, since I was Grand Master Wei's closest confidant and it's quite obvious that none of you have the gall to make a proper decision for yourselves. Master Monk Guan will be my voucher."

He looked back at Guan again, and for the second time that morning Guan was reminded of his best friend. Master Young's sly smirk was confident. Even the dimple at his left cheek was identical to Chase's. "Won't you?"

Guan bowed to him. "Yes, sir," he said, "I will vouch for your title."

The Council murmured in agreement to it, nodding their heads with approval of Guan's trust.

'_They all hated him a minute ago, but at my word they listened_,' Guan thought, watching Master Young take his seat at the Council head, '_Even if I am the last of the Xiaolin Dragon, I should not be allowed this much power._'

Master Young was a statue in his new throne, hands folded delicately over his lap as he met Guan's eyes across the jade circle, looking neither pleased nor disappointed in his new position.

One of the Elders spoke up, "Master- Grand Master Young, what are we to do about the death of the Wind Dragon?"

"She never existed."

Time stopped for Guan. He met Master Young's unblinking, tired eyes, swallowing down his surprise.

"That is what I believe is best," said Master Young, nodding his head to Guan, "Tala Bao never existed. There was no curse, there was no prophecy, there was no half-witch. Only Wuya and Grand Master Dashi's rivalry. It was her defeat that killed him, not the sacrifice for his wife. Chase betrayed us not for the magic belonging to a girl, but to obtain the power Grand Master Wei had always denied him and his corrupted heart. Grand Master Dashi alone created the Shen Gong Wu, using his intellect to find ways to power them, not Tala's magic."

"Tala sacrificed herself and the life of her newborn to draw Chase away from the Temple!" Guan shouted, "How can you destroy her memory so mercilessly?! We would all be dead, if not for her!"

"Tala caused this!" Master Young bellowed back, "Her ghost shall receive no recompense from me! She wanted to be invisible and left alone? She shall have it!"

Master Young's eyes were a dangerous fire, blazing into an inferno by the click of his raspy whisper, "Tala Bao took my son away from me, and so I shall take her away from history."

Wings rustled above Guan as the crow took off through the boxy window it had flown into, calling its withering song to morning's light.

* * *

Tala shuddered as feathers melted into skin. Her own breath hit her face, sucking hot mist back into her lungs as she caught her breath. She could not lift her head, trapped with a knee bent to the man looming over her, his shadow casted on the marble floor of the cavern.

"So," purred Chase.

Tala gasped when she could finally lift her head up, the wood in front of her nose and mouth making the air dry and choking. Chase folded his hands behind his back and turned away from her.

"My father has decided not to give you any of the proper credit, it seems," Chase chuckled, "No matter. It just proves my point."

Tala glared at Chase, her voice trying to push its way out with fiery force through her locked jaw. He looked at her over his shoulder, just barely a flicker with his eyes, before walking toward the library doors. Tala followed Chase swiftly.

"Isn't it lucky that we found this place, Yin Ri?" Chase asked. The torches lining the hallway lit as he passed by them and dimmed when she did. "To think the witches had left it abandoned for centuries and yet it's still as beautiful as the day it was built. And people like my dear father swear up and down that your kind had no culture. Well, other than the shedding of innocent blood, of course."

Yin Ri. The mere whisper of the word felt like a band of iron around Tala's neck, stealing her ability to breathe like a kick to the stomach. Her body would not let her stop, an invisible cord pulling her along behind Chase's quick steps. He opened one of the library doors, holding it ajar for Tala to walk through. She glared at his lofty grin before ducking under his arm.

Chase gave a laugh from deep in his belly, a sharp short bark that stung Tala's ears. "I may be a monster, but I do have manners," he told her, following Tala inside.

"What's the matter, Yin?" he sneered, "Cat got your tongue? Oh no, I forgot again."

Chase snapped his fingers and Tala's tongue loosened. She soothed her throat with a hand. "_Tá tú uafásach_," she hissed.

Chase shrugged. "It's not like I'm hurting you," he said.

"You have no idea what you are doing to me," Tala seethed.

"Yes I do," Chase sang, passing her. He brushed his fingers playfully through her hair as he walked by.

A large glass eye rose from the ground, blinking into focus images from across the world, flashing from one scene to the next. "The All-Seeing Eye Orb," said Chase, passing his hand over it, "Have you ever seen anything more useful? You can take that mask off, by the way. It's not permanently stuck to your face."

Tala gladly took his advice, holding the heavy wood in her hand, relishing the fresh air cooling her face. Tala turned the mask over, trailing her finger down the red line splitting the mask into two. One half was a dark grey, the other white. A red spiral fanned out from the center line and coiled around the white side's eye. She narrowed her eyes at the pointed ears at the top of it, and the oval cat-like shape of the eye holes. "This is a sick joke."

"Not entirely," snapped Chase, pointing a finger to the air as he leaned over the Orb, "Now, get over here. I want you to see something."

Tala walked over, the command made much less painful as she willingly obeyed it. Master Young was sitting in Grand Master Wei's council chair, that much Tala could see when she peered over Chase's shoulder. The Elder Council was gathered around him, bowing.

"It looks like the Xiaolin Temple officially has a new Grand Master," said Chase lightly, "Good for him. Guan's voucher was effective."

"Why do you care?" Tala snapped.

"I don't," said Chase, "What I do care about, though, is why you keep testing me. You've lost everything. Your husband, your child, your home, and now thanks to my father, your name in the line of Xiaolin Dragons. Not that you ever made it that far, _buuut_-"

Tala folded her arms. "What's your point, Chase?"

"My point," Chase growled the hostility in his eyes contradicting his grin, "is that you _have _nothing left. Nothing to hold onto. Not even your name."

Tala turned away from him. Chase wrapped his arms around Tala's and made her uncurl from herself, slowly forcing Tala to turn back to face him. Chase's eyes were a bit softer now, but Tala shivered at the cheeriness of his toothy smile.

"Just let go," said Chase, cupping the side of her cheek with a gentle stroke of his thumb, "Tala Bao died that night on the river. Embrace Yin Ri. Become one with me."

Tala steeled herself and pulled away. "Never," she vowed, "You couldn't have my son, and you can't have me."

The light in Chase's eyes hardened sharply. "Your son," he scoffed, "Oh, I _will _have him, Yin Ri. I just have to be patient."

"My son is gone," Tala growled, "We have no idea where that portal took him. For all I know, he's dead!"

"Dead?" murmured Chase, "Oh no, well we can't have that. Not while the prophecy has yet to be fulfilled. What a cruel twist of fate that would be."

Chase turned back to the Eye Orb and Tala's body moved to join him, stiff muscles working against her. "He's somewhere, Yin Ri," Chase whispered, golden eyes darting over the images flying across the Eye, "I can feel it. If that baby really is my Pearl, he'll grow up to become a man, and then he'll come to me."

* * *

The current was steady as a basket rocked down the river, bobbing when it bumped gently against fallen branches and dead trees. Master Fung was only alerted to its presence when he heard the soft cries from inside.

"Dojo," he said, shoving his fishing pole into the small dragon's hand, "hold this for me."

"Master Fung!" Dojo cried, struggling to hold on to both of their poles, but the old master had already made a mad dash toward the cries.

He ran along the edge of the riverbank, racing ahead of the basket to get to the shallow sandbar. He slid down the side, sand spraying when he landed. "I'm getting far too old for this!" he wheezed, forcing his throbbing knees to push faster to catch up to the basket already out of his reach as the small cries from inside became desperate wails.

"Hold on, hold on!" he begged, wading into the water, "I'm coming for you! Don't float away!"

Master Fung just barely grabbed the handle of the basket with his fingers and yanked it toward him. He held the basket close and made his way to shore. Once safely on the riverbank, Master Fung lifted the lid. The baby was so small, not even a day old, his little yellow body wriggling in the linens as he fussed and whined. "Oh no, shhh, shhh," Master Fung cooed, "It's alright, little one."

He looked up and down the river to see who could ever have abandoned the poor thing, but there was no one except Dojo struggling to wiggle his way through the grass, dropping one pole and then deserting both when he couldn't pick it up.

"Master Fung!" hollered the little dragon as he came close, "What happened?"

"It's a baby, Dojo," said Master Fung, taking the child from the basket and cradling him, "He's been abandoned. Tossed into the river like garbage, no less."

"Who would do such a thing?" tsked Dojo, "Just what is this world coming to?"

Master Fung looked down the river again, but still there were no signs of anyone else. "I don't know."

He looked down at the baby, whose black eyes looked up at him with open, unknowing trust. Tears came to Master Fung's eyes at the thought of this sweet baby being left to die in a basket, but he smiled instead. "Hello, small one," he whispered gently, "Would you like to come live with me? Dojo and I might not have much, and not many students come through this temple anymore, but I promise to give you a good home here."

"You want to keep him, Master Fung?" asked Dojo, pouncing onto his master's shoulder. He arched his body into an 'S,' looking down at the baby skeptically.

"Don't you just a bit feel lonely with just us, Dojo?" asked Master Fung, tucking the cloth beneath the baby's chin. The baby giggled at his touch.

"I have you, Master Fung," answered Dojo happily, "That's more than enough company for me."

"Dojo."

Dojo winced at Master Fung's reprimand and looked down at the smiling baby again. "Well," he said, "Who knows. Having a baby around could be kinda fun."

Master Fung cried out when the baby reached up and yanked at his beard, but laughed with the child, replacing the salt-and-pepper hair in the tiny fist with his finger.

"See what I mean?" grumbled the dragon with a roll of his eyes.

"Come now, Dojo," said Master Fung, "Don't be that way. We can raise him as a student, and train him in everything we know about being a Xiaolin monk."

"He looks a little familiar, actually," mused Dojo, stroking his red beard, "Those forehead dots are giving me déjà vu. Can't place my finger on it, though."

"It's settled, then," said Master Fung, turning back toward the Xiaolin Temple, "You are coming to live with us… Omi."

"Omi?" scoffed Dojo as Master Fung made his way back up the riverbank, "That's an interesting name."

Their voices faded as they disappeared over the hill, blinked out of sight in the reflection of a crow's silvery eye. The black bird cawed, flying off in a flurry of feathers, flinching at the harsh sound of her master's laughter as she circled back toward the Land of Nowhere.

**THE END**

* * *

"Nothing ever ends poetically. It ends, then we turn it into poetry. All that blood was never once beautiful. It was just red."-Kait Rokowski 

* * *

**AN: And the first story of the **_**Crown and Pearl **_**trilogy is finished! *The Gladiator theme plays while the credits roll***

**Hooray, you survived! Give a round of applause for yourself! The next out of this series will be called 'The Edge of Shadows,' focusing on the current Xiaolin monks and Chase's plans for them, so keep an eye out for it! I should be posting it soon, since I'm already in the process of culling/ editing the first chapter for The Edge of Shadows. Thank you for all of your support!**

**-TNIB**

**Irish translation:**

_Tá mo chroí istigh ionat- _**My heart is within you**

_chuisle_\- **pulse**/ _A chuisle_\- "**my pulse"**

_tá tú uafásach_\- **You are terrible**


End file.
